Everything begins with an E.

Pre Christmas in Kansas City

2011-12-22T01:42:00.001-06:00

I am proud to report that I got my Christmas "tree" up early this year - the weekend after Thanksgiving! I have been enjoying it so much. Of course, it's not a tree - it's a garland. I decided that this year I didn't have the energy to fight "Scroogio" (who, by the way, has been replaced by a non-Christmas-hating Sergio this year!) over it and to have to make my case for why the Christmas tree is worth all the trouble. I just didn't have it in me this year. Not to mention - a tree would have been the perfect height for Julia to get into and I like to get those native, invasive Eastern Red Cedars that are prickly and I can only imagine what kind of trouble Julia would have gotten into with that.

garland and three tiny stockings - one for each of us

So I went with our trusty old back up garland. And even though it's artificial and even though it's not a tree, I love it.

new ornament this year - Julia's hand print cut out and decorated like Santa (from Nina's school party)

With all my cards sent and my gifts purchased, wrapped and shipped, I was ready, this week, to do some long awaited holiday baking. I have yet to figure out why the winter (even a mild winter like what we're having) makes me feel like baking. But it does. So I hunkered down in the kitchen a couple of nights this week and baked two kinds of cookies - Nutmeg Maple Butter Cookies (from Smitten Kitchen), which turned out to be fantastic; and Gingerbread Folk (as I like to call them, since "Gingerbread Men" is so limiting). We bundled these up and distributed them to co-workers and to the concierge staff at our building. Oh, and we kept a few for ourselves. They were all delicious and well worth the hours of rolling and cutting out.

I make sure my icing is super messy, that way people who receive my cookies know without a doubt that they are home made and not store bought.

Now, it feels like the night before Christmas because we leave for Mexico tomorrow. The bags are packed; we have wrapped up our Christmas in Kansas City just in time to fly out for the next, big Christmases. (One in Mexico; one in Oklahoma.)

And since my garland is artificial, I'm leaving up until I get home. No reason not to enjoy it a few days into the new year.

"Frosted Ginger Cut Outs" (or "Gingerbread Folk")

1 cup shortening or butter

1 cup molasses

3 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cloves

In large bowl, combine shortening and molasses; blend well. Add flour and remaining cookie ingredients to molasses mixture; mis well. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 2 hours for easier handling.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. On well-floured surface, roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness; cut with floured cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool completely.

FROSTING (Emily's Easy Icing)

a lot of powdered sugar

a little milk

To make the icing, mix a tiny bit of milk with a whole lot of powdered sugar. You just have to eye ball it until you get the consistency you want - whatever you need to ooze appropriately from your piping bag without pouring out and without getting stuck. You be the judge.

VARIATIONS

GINGERBREAD MEN (or WOMEN!): Roll dough 1/4-inch thick for soft cookies or 1/8 inch thick for crisp cookies. Cut dough with floured gingerbread person cookie cutter. Bake as directed above. To decorate, pipe frosting on cooled cookies.

(My recommendations on the Gingerbread People - go with 1/4 inch thickness to achieve a softer cookie, and shoot for the shorter end of the 8-10 minute baking time suggestion.)

ThanksVegan #8

2011-12-18T23:50:00.001-06:00

just some of our standards - Brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes and gravy, wilted spinach salad, and butternut squash soup (the Teany recipe)

The tradition continues! Our friends, Jon and Erin, traveled to KC last weekend for our 8th Annual ThanksVegan. Each year on the day of our TV meal, we four toil in the kitchen and slave over a hot stove and chop and chop and stir and saute and blend and bake and mash and mix for many hours in a row. It's all good fun and it never feels like hours when we look back on it because Jon often condenses our marathon kitchen stint into an 8-minute video, which, not unlike Food Network programming, makes everything look like a piece of cake - a piece of vegan cake, that is.

But this year, Jon and Erin had the brilliant idea to prep some food in advance and to buy the main course (instead of making it) to reduce our cook/prep time and to allow for extra time for just enjoying each other's company. This was a particularly prescient move on their part because - as horrible luck would have it - poor Jon came down with a 24-hour bug on Saturday. Had Jon and Erin not prepped so much in advance, and had we not bought a pre-made main course, I think our ThanksVegan would have been severely cramped.

Gardein (I can't believe it's not turkey!) in the foreground; Julia (who was old enough to join us at the table this year) in the background.

Instead, we were able to get in a full evening of relaxed fun and fellowship before the bug hit - then we all weathered through it on Saturday and since Jon is lucky enough to be married to a doctor, he had professional medical advice at the ready. By Sunday morning he was good as new (phew!) and TV8 commenced without a hitch!

blueberry hand pies

And it was delicious. This was the year of the pies as Erin made two kinds before they arrived on Friday night. We waited until Sunday morning (such a long wait!) to eat the Blueberry Hand Pies, which we had for breakfast while we were prepping the big meal. They were superb, whether eaten with a fork or a hand. Then for desert we had Pecan Pie (sprinkled with a bit of salt) - it was perfect - all mapley and praline-like.

Pecan Pie while Julia spends some QT with Uncle Jon, the baby whisperer.

Before we knew it, the pies and the weekend were coming to an all-to-fast close. So we vowed to get together again soon - much sooner than next fall - to make up for lost time. We are already looking forward to it.

Commemorative ornaments - usually we do corks from beer bottles - this year we decided to embrace the memory of the minor inconvenience of the stomach bug.

Thanksgiving and The Flu. And Pink Eye.

2011-12-01T22:49:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving really is my favorite holiday. Such a simple premise - gratitude! - yet one so difficult to master throughout the rest of the year. I love a day meant to emphasize it. (And I love that we do so with food, although, this year, I didn't have the extra hands to snap photos of my Fair Share Farm vegetables or my delicious Badseed goods or that fennel and leek au gratin dish I made two years ago which is ugly in photos anyway, but that was just as tasty as I remembered it being).

Christy and her family used their hand prints for this adorable toilet paper roll pilgrim turkey

This year I geared up for Thanksgiving by watching a couple of holiday-themed shows on the Food Network at my parents house the week before. On those shows, chefs with poise and fervor made masterpieces in record time and wowed judges with their ability to be both innovative and traditional. Fast forward a week and my own version is a little more crazed. I spent Thanksgiving day in my kitchen making a pie completely from scratch (having never done so before!) as well as making ALL the vegetables for our meal (beets, potatoes, fennel, chard, salad). Sergio spent the day getting the flu. Which left him less able to help out than I had expected. Which left me performing the gymnastic stunts required to accommodate a 14 month old underfoot who is busying herself with pots and pans on the floor near her mama while her daddy fever-sleeps unexpectedly in the next room. How come they never show that on the Food Network?

"Primitos de Rayas" - Nina the witch princess (with striped leggings), Emilio the pirate, and Julia the coincidentally, impromptu pirate. Costumes at Thanksgiving: a new tradition?

Poor Sergio. He made it through our decidedly delicious meal at Christy and Armando's that night; we all had a great time, even him with his fever. The next morning he went to urgent care and came home with a flu diagnosis and something to help with the pain. Then he slept for the next 48 hours. He missed the "recalentado" at Christy's on Friday (it's worth it to spend so much time in the kitchen cooking if the food you make lasts two days!), he missed the lighting of the mayor's Christmas tree at Crown Center, and he was about to miss small business Saturday when, late in the day, he mustered enough strength to go out and buy a few records. Then he came and slept for another day.

Julia and Mommy, missing Daddy, at the Mayor's Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony

By Sunday night he was starting to come out of it. And I was just showing my first signs. I was lucky though. The flu that knocked him flat on his back and sent him down for the count, just sent me stumbling. I was feverish and very tired, but all in all it only lasted a couple of days. (His lasted 5.) I was brazenly bidding the defeated flu "good-bye" and "good riddance" on Tuesday night - perhaps too brazenly, reveling in my victory. Because I woke up Wednesday morning with flu-induced pink eye. Spoke too soon I guess.

We are finally - just today - feeling like we're getting back to normal (although I won't really feel "normal" until my eye clears up and I can put my contacts back in). We're both back at work and we're going about our business and even though it felt like a big wallop, us both being sick like that, it occurs to me that a couple of cases of flu and a spot of conjunctivitis are actually wonderful problems to have in the grand scheme of things. And what's more? Julia has managed to avoid it all (knock on wood).

a happy Thanksgiving indeed

We are fully aware of how fortunate we are and I for one feel very, very grateful.

14 months

2011-11-25T01:47:00.001-06:00

She's walking now! Took her first tentative steps about a month ago but is full on walking now. This girl can't be stopped! Not even long enough to take a milestone picture. She's the greatest.

KC Symphony: Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with Bezhod Abduraimov

2011-11-21T00:15:00.000-06:00

Last year, since we were having a baby, we considered letting our season tickets to the symphony lapse, but we knew that existing season subscribers would get first dibs at seats in the brand new and highly acclaimed Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts for this year. So we kept our subscription, even during the year that we were too absorbed by new baby to make it to all the performances.

And now, the 2011-2012 season is here we have really good seats. Last weekend was actually our second time in Helzberg Hall; two weeks ago we enjoyed our first performance in the acoustically superb concert hall - the Kansas City Chorale perform Brahms' Requiem. But I've really been looking forward to last weekend's performance featuring pianist Behzod Abduraimov - he played Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and he was just as amazing as I had hoped him to be. A virtuoso on a virtuosic piece inspired by a virtuoso.

If what they are saying about Helzberg Hall is true, then Abduraimov's performance would have sounded fantastic from any seat in the house. But I heard it from just one seat very close to the stage. Close enough to see the red blemishes on the undersides of the viola players jaws, close enough to see the price sticker on the bottom of the second violinist shoe, close enough to see the wrinkle in the tails of Michael Stern's tuxedo jacket, close enough to see the beads of sweat flying off of Bezhod Abduraimov's brow while he played. I had a perfect line of site to the underside of the piano and a bit of debris on the floor and Abduraimov's feet, which - call me crazy - were fun to watch as they were just as expressive as the rest of him, which is very expressive indeed.

Long Trip to OKC (A Photo Essay)

2011-11-19T01:21:00.000-06:00

Sergio, Julia, and I spent several days in OKC last week for an early Thanksgiving. We had lots of quality time for hanging out at Honey and Papa's - I even had time to stay up late and watch M*A*S*H with Mom and Dad, just like the old days. We pulled out old pictures and told stories; Dad pulled out his old records and told us stories. Julia and Mom and I spent a great afternoon playing at Mema's and enjoying the beautiful weather outside. It was a great trip...

a little lunch with Mema

playing on Mema's boardwalk

with Honey and Papa

the girls and their wheels

me as a toddler - I'm starting to see the resemblance everyone is talking about

Dad's record collection, a few of which are on loan with us to enjoy.

Halloween + Ana's Visit

2011-11-03T22:05:00.006-05:00

Last year when I was still pregnant, I decided that I wanted to get my baby a garlic costume for Halloween. It turns out nobody makes garlic costumes for babies (which surprised me, but seems to surprise no one else). I didn't have the gumption to make one last year what with my five-week-old baby who just slept through all the festivities anyway. But this year I did and - despite being knocked out of commission for a while by sickness - I finally made my garlic costume dream come true.

Our Lil Stinker

Why garlic, you ask? I have no idea. I just really, really like it. And I wanted to call her "Our Lil Stinker." Turns out the jokes, etc., are half the fun of the garlic costume - "garlic makes everything better," said one co-worker. "If you have a couple more kids you could get a good marinara sauce going," said another. "Bet she scared off the kid dressed as Edward Cullen," said another. And my dad said, "Never has un ajo looked so muy, muy dulce." So true.

elder primos + Nina

On top of the fun of Halloween, we also enjoyed a visit from Sergio's cousin Ana, from California. We all spent a wonderful weekend together at a pumpkin patch and at the Nelson-Atkins museum, where we enjoyed a beautiful Dia de los Muertos exhibit and some gorgeous weather in the sculpture park.

the younger primos

our lil punkin

And of course, no Halloween would be complete without the right kind of food! Christy made Calabaza en Tacha (second year in a row - perhaps this will be our tradition?) which I did not photograph this year, but which I thoroughly enjoyed. And I went to a caramel-apple making party at work. (Halloween at Hallmark is so much fun.)

my caramel apple with the caramel still hot

On the big night, Nina and Emilio (and their parents) came over to do some trick or treating in our apartment building. Julia trick or treated, too, even though she doesn't understand that candy is edible. (She seemed to think it was all just a bunch of wrinkly, rattly toys.) The primitos mostly just enjoyed a night of running around and squealing with delight at one another while the mommies and daddies ate green tomato chutney and cheese and drank wine.

It was a very happy Halloween.

fairy godmother, garlic, and dinosaur

13 months

2011-10-19T23:28:00.001-05:00

13 months old • roughly 19 pounds • totally awesome in every way

Oh, and very friendly - she waves at perfect strangers in the parking lot and on the elevator. It's the cutest.

Surprise Mini Vacation

2011-10-06T23:15:00.006-05:00

Last week I had a mini vacation that I wasn't expecting to have. In truth it was a 2.5-day leadership conference for work. Not what you thought I meant when I said "vacation," right? Truthfully, I was expecting it to be kind of dull. Dull and weird. I had to go stay at a hotel downtown. And by downtown I mean like 12 blocks from my apartment. Couldn't I just stay at home with my little family and just come to the hotel during the day for the conference? I wondered. But no. Sequestration is part of the deal.

Hotel Phillips c. 1931

I checked in early Tuesday morning and low and behold, the hotel is absolutely lovely. It's a historic hotel, built in 1931 and refurbished a few times, most recently in 2001. The art deco lobby is small but high ceiling-ed and impressive. The rooms are updated and modern without being too cold.

wall in elevator bay detail

The conference turned out to be way less dull than I thought. It was a lot of just talking about yourself - and who doesn't love that? I'm an ENFP, by the way. The meals were all provided - lackluster, but provided - and I was surprised to find how much I enjoyed a few days without meal prep. There was wine and beer in the evenings, which the organizers of the conference insisted on calling "cocktails." There was a gorgeous wood paneled room where we ate dinner. There were entertaining table-mates and dining companions. There was a constant supply of coffee in cups and saucers (so classic). There were no diapers to be changed. There was poor quality wireless internet so I couldn't do any work in the evenings, even though I really did try. There was a lush and comfy bed and there was TV.

bed detail

I had no idea how therapeutic it would be in the evenings, after a long day of introspection, just to sit in bed and watch TV - something extra special since it's something I never, ever do.

chair detail

The conference, which I fully expected to be intense, weird, dull and generally unpleasant in many other ways turned out to be just the respite that I didn't know I needed.

Julia's First Birthday

2011-09-19T21:06:00.009-05:00

Well, Monday morning I was going to post on Facebook at 8:00 am that it was one year ago at that very moment that we finally met this incredible tiny human being that we'd so anxiously awaited - that it was one year ago at that very moment that our baby made her entrance into this world.

But instead, at 8:00 Monday morning, I was lumbering out the door, exhausted after a restless, sleepless night, with our fever hot birthday baby in tow. She whimpered all the way to the pediatrician. Her first ear infection on her first birthday. Not a way good way to start the day. We were so sad. On top of all that, the sky was strangely overcast - clouds so thick and low that we couldn't even see the new Kauffman Center or the the old convention center or half the buildings downtown as we drove to the doctors office. We met with the doctor (after friendly Julia waved at all the other pajama-clad, sick kids in the waiting room). 1 teaspoon of bubble gum flavored amoxicillin and 1.2 ml of acetaminophen later and Julia was on the mend. Suddenly the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day and we realized, it just might be a nice birthday after all.

So we stopped for a big breakfast and then went home for a big nap, after which we all three felt much restored and ready to take on the big birthday with aplomb. Sergio and I spent the day marveling at how exquisite Julia is - how charmingly she eats - how cleverly she learns - how delightfully she laughs - how sweetly she grins - how earnestly she investigates - how eagerly she grabs - how amazingly she grows.

But the truth is, this is how we spend every day - birthday or non-birthday. She has captivated us so fully; she has fundamentally changed us at the core with her absolute pureness and wonder. And she has no idea.

It's true - I can't believe it's been a year. But then again, she has grown so much - so maybe I can believe it's been a year. And then in many weird ways, I feel like she's been here more than a year, that she was always here, somewhere, waiting in the wings. That she was meant to be. And now she has hit the stage and become our star. And that ... well, I think she does know that.

Indeed. I love this little girl more than I can possibly convey. Happy Birthday, Julia.

Julia's First Birthday Party

2011-09-18T23:29:00.006-05:00

This is the post about the party. Perhaps tomorrow I will write the post about how utterly delightful Julia is and how fantastic my role as her mommy is and how much I have loved the last year. But for now ... pictures.

We chose a rainbow theme for her party; but of course the real bright ray of sunshine - especially on a rainy, overcast day, was Julia herself.

Julia's tia Christy made a perfect piñata for the party. And, carrying on the birthday tradition from my Mema's house, we brought out the extra special red plate.

Pom poms, courtesy of Lindsey, Christy, Minli, and Tyler.

Zig-zag streamers, with help from Ling.

Fruit plate.

Veggie plate - with blue potatoes! But I can't believe no one told me my orange and yellow were switched.

Happy!

In the Last Two Weeks ...

2011-08-17T22:00:00.006-05:00

I am happy; in the last two weeks I have been able to...

See my girlfriends from high school...

(l. to r. Dana, Lauren, Kreisa, Emily, and Ricki Lea; not pictured but missed - Deena)

Visit with Mema (with Julia, too) ...

Reading Mema's magazine.

Showing Mema how she plays telephone.

In honor of her namesake (Mema's mother), Julia Wesson Taylor - Julia turned her hair red for this photo.

And attend a lovely wedding in Weston...

The wedding was in an orchard.

The reception was in a barn.

We had a blast.

A Moveable Feast

2011-07-26T21:11:00.009-05:00

Outstanding

Several years ago I heard of a program called Outstanding in the Field. The project of chef and artist Jim Denevan, this program hosts a farm-to-table dinner at farms throughout the country featuring local chefs in each place. I thought this sounded like a fantastic idea the first time I heard of it. But this year it got even more fantastic when our CSA farm - Fair Share Farm in Kearney, MO - got to host the event.

I jumped at the chance to join in and snagged 2 of the 150 tickets available, which quickly sold out. The chef for the evening was the famed Jonathan Justus of Justus Drugstore, which I know from previous experience to be absolutely superb. And his OITF dinner did not disappoint.

The evening started with hors d'ouvres and drinks and mingling around the farm. In typical Justus Drugstore fashion, the simplest of foods so expertly prepared were such a pleasant surprise. The server offered me a seemingly boring watermelon chunk topped with a foamy blueberry, but boring it was not. Watermelon + blueberry + black walnut + lemon = something else altogether.

"sweet pea," the Fair Share Farm van

Rebecca demo-ing the tractor.

After mingling, Jim Denevan gave a big welcome to all the guests and introduced farmers Tom and Rebecca, who then told a little bit of their story and shared about their farm before leading us all on a brief but informative farm tour which featured a perfectly quiet demonstration of their electric tractor, the illustrious 1948 Allis Chalmers "G."

The tradition of the plates.

After the tour we all filed back over to the long table that seemed to stretch to infinity and - on our way, picked up our plates. Guests were invited to bring their own plates to the event, the eclectic result of which adds to the charm of the whole evening. (Although I think I won the prize for The Most Boring / Least Charming Plates with my scratched up old white plates from Target).

"Spinach Cherry Limeade" spinach, cherry limeade, black pepper pecans, cherry basil rose sorbet, beets

The first of seven incredible courses commenced. Everything was served family style so the whole meal felt warm and friendly. My dinner date that evening was my sister-in-law and we enjoyed the company of some other members of the FSF CSA who were, for the course of this meal, our food-sharing "family." We marveled at the duck egg fettucini, the carrot gnocchi, the grilled romaine, the corn pastry. Outstanding, indeed.

I was so impressed with how smoothly the evening was run, how charming and beautiful the array was, how sharp the servers were, rattling off not only the intricacies of each dish, but the provenance of each ingredient as well. 15+ local farms contributed their local produce and products to the meal. Even the wine was local and extra local at that - from Fence Stile Vineyards right next door to Kearney in Excelsior Springs.

We lucked out with a less-than-scorching day on Sunday and to avoid the heat of the day, the dinner began an hour late. As best I could tell, no one melted over the course of the evening, although I can't say the same for the Shatto butter on the table. By the time the sun set, we were still holding out for the last two courses and finishing off our outstanding dinner by candlelight. Even in the dark, the food was divine.

Our Fifteen Minutes

2011-07-25T21:00:00.000-05:00

Sergio and I were in the paper on Sunday in the Star Magazine's Love Story column! Thanks to writer Deborah Shouse for capturing our story.

Frida Kahlo brought them together

By DEBORAH SHOUSE

Special to The Star

Keith Myers

Emily Akins and Sergio Moreno met when they worked together on a college assignment. They married and today work together at Hallmark Cards.

More News

Sergio Moreno was excited about the professor’s assignment: to list two artists and circle your favorite. The professor would choose one for each student to write about.

“I grew up in Mexico City,” Sergio says. “I had visited Frida Kahlo’s home and wanted to write about her.”

It was the fall of 1998, and 20-year-old Sergio was attending Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Okla. He was upset when he was assigned his second choice, Diego Rivera.

“Why?” he asked the professor.

“Emily Akins already chose Frida. But the two of you can work together.”

Sergio had never met Emily, who was then a sophomore. But he agreed to work with her.

They began to study Frida together.

“Sergio stood out,” Emily says. “He was very polite and interesting, and we had similar interests.”

“I thought Emily was cute, and I was attracted by her family orientation,” Sergio says. “Her interests in music and art were different from everyone else’s.”

They became friends and often went out to eat together. After more than a year of friendship, Sergio asked Emily to be his girlfriend.

“I was reluctant,” Emily says. “I really liked him, but I wanted to focus on friends and school.”

But Sergio was so appealing, she began dating him. Both graduated in 2001. While Sergio stayed in Oklahoma, Emily moved to Kansas City, and they began a long-distance relationship. Six months into their separation, they decided they wanted to be together.

“I was ready to propose, but Emily hated jewelry,” Sergio says. “I knew she wouldn’t like a ring.”

Finally, he came up with a plan, based on Emily’s love of the English language. When Emily was visiting Oklahoma, Sergio invited Emily, her family and his sister out for dinner. During the meal, he got down on one knee and pulled out a ring box. Inside, was a tiny photo of the 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary, which he had purchased for Emily.

They were married on Jan. 1, 2003. Sergio moved to Kansas City, and today they work right next to each other as editorial directors at Hallmark Cards.

They like movies, theater and music. They enjoy cooking together and cherish their family meal time. They also cherish their time with their baby daughter, Julia.

“We’re having fun getting to know each other as parents,” Emily says. “Sergio is sensitive and warmhearted. He’s clever and makes me laugh. Plus, his fathering touches my heart.”

“Emily is a very sophisticated yet down-to-earth woman,” Sergio says. “I have always felt attracted to her, physically and intellectually. She inspires me and balances me.”

Deborah Shouse is a freelance writer. Suggest a Love Story couple by writing to lovestory@kcstar.com.

Ten Months

2011-07-23T20:44:00.002-05:00

New talents include: crawling (finally!), clapping (she came up with that one all by herself), and saying "Hi," which we've determined is her first word since she uses it in context and accompanies it with a funny little wave. Cutest thing ever. She has four teeth now and the fifth one just broke through; and there's a gap between her two front teeth. Also the cutest thing ever.

Time for just one picture before she rolled over ...

...and crawled off to read her book.

Little Miss Curious - she has an interest in everything (and doesn't mind that her onesie was printed upside down).

Sunset Beach, NC

2011-07-17T20:45:00.010-05:00

It turns out that the beach is actually a great place to vacation. Who knew!? I didn't. I was a skeptical beach goer, put off by the thought of all that sand. But I trusted my brother whose idea it was that our big family vacation take us to the North Carolina coast and who said I would enjoy it. Turns out he was right.

third from the right

Thanks to his know-how, we knew what to do in order to do the beach right - get a waterfront house on the beach, stay at the less populated end of the island, stay for a week, and bring boogie boards and Bocce Ball. We also totally geeked out on this trip bringing several pieces of regional fiction, guides to the Carolina coast plant life and animals, a shell guide, etc. It was so interesting and fun.

Bocce Ball

Beach Baby

Julia did so well and seemed to really enjoy the beach, the sand, the water ... the cousins. She had a great time watching and playing. And I think the fresh ocean breezes were good for her development because she started crawling (finally!) on this trip and clapping, too.

playing Bocce Ball behind the beach house

awesome beach sunglasses

We saw a big crab and little ones while we were there, I saw a family playing Bocce Ball dressed as pirates, we saw students building huge, precise sand pyramids using levels and proper tools, we visited the famed Kindred Spirit mailbox, we saw an incredible lightning show over the ocean. We ate seafood and hushpuppies and pimiento cheese, we played in tidal pools, we checked on the tide chart and followed the waves ... And in the meantime, we picked out names for our own beach houses - "The Old Man and the Sí" (my dad), "Peace and Quiet" (my aunt), "Squid Pro Quo" (me).

the Kindred Spirits mailbox - I left a note in the notebook

And Minli, inspired by the double meaning in Hollis' name for his beach house ("Ocean Waves"), wrote a poem ...

High Tide

The ocean waves hi.

The ocean waves bye.

The ocean says go away,

before I wash you bye bye.

Minli, the ocean, and her poem

Nine Months

2011-06-21T22:13:00.000-05:00

16 pounds and 2 ounces of checked cuteness

9 months and an upside down onesie

pincer!

looking at pictures with daddy

Happy Fathers Day!

Mema's 90th (Reunion 2)

2011-06-08T22:41:00.007-05:00

Our second reunion - less than a week after our trip to Colorado - was a reunion/birthday party for my Mema who turned 90 on May 31. To celebrate this major milestone, Mom invited all the cousins from Texas to come up for a Taylor family reunion. It was a wonderful time, and a very happy birthday for Mema.

Mema and her little brother Joe - two of the seven kids of Julia Wesson Taylor.

Mom with old pictures from old Taylor reunions.

Coconut Cream Pie - my grandfather's favorite - my aunt Joy made 7 pies, including this one and Mama Taylor's Chocolate Pie, Mema's favorite.

Mema and her girls

Mema and Julia giggling

Primos in Colorado (Reunion 1)

2011-06-08T22:30:00.000-05:00

Sergio comes from a big family - 12 cousins on his dad's side. This year, for the first time ever, the primos decided to have a reunion. Cousin Ana hooked us up with a fantastic cabin in Cuchara, Colorado and 8 cousins plus their families gathered for a wonderful vacation over Memorial Day weekend.

8 of the 12 primos - we're hoping for all 12 next year!

With the families of the 8 primos, we ended up being a party of 19, which required two of these lovely cabins in Cuchara. We all had a blast - from the littlest, to the oldest - we played games, saw deer, savored the incredible weather and scenery, and ate a-plenty.

Primitos - L to R Sydney (18mos), Vaughn (4), Nina (4), Julia (8 mos), MiaBella (18 mos), and Emilio (18 mos)

Cuchara is in the southern part of Colorado, near La Veta - which, we learned, is pronounced "luh veetuh," not "lah vehtah," which is why the lady at the airport looked confused when we tried to tell her where we were headed. In this part of CO, there are, purportedly, bears. So I was a little nervous about our outdoor excursions. Fortunately, the only beers we saw were the decorative type, of which there were several.

The only bear we saw - phew!

The gorgeous locale was a perfect background for quality time together and lots of fun memories made. We are already looking forward to a 2012 Primos reunion!

the mountains

Solid Foods

2011-05-24T20:21:00.000-05:00

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!

Rapturous Radish Sandwiches

2011-05-21T14:29:00.006-05:00

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.

Eight Months

2011-05-20T22:02:00.000-05:00

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.

So What by Miles Davis (by Emily)

2011-05-15T23:34:00.001-05:00

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!

Being a Mom

2011-05-10T00:00:00.006-05:00

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.

Easter

2011-04-24T22:41:00.008-05:00

Easter seems late to me this year. But I kind of like that it came so close to Earth Day, so as to pack in the celebratory feel all in one weekend. And Saturday - in between Earth Day and Easter - was the opening of the Brookside Farmers Market, one of my favorite markets. That's a red letter day in my book. So we celebrated today - with Sergio's sister and her family - with fresh greens and mint and rhubarb and daffodils and little plastic eggs from the church Easter egg hunt ... and it was lovely.

bright spot

be-bob-a-re-bob rhubarb - which went in to a crisp (not a pie)

minty mint tea

salad mix with nasturtiums, cucumber, radish, mint and - drum roll - pea shoots!

los primos

A Visit from Mom and Dad (aka "Honey and Papa")

2011-04-20T21:34:00.005-05:00

Everyday when I come home, Julia is so excited to see me - she pumps her arms and kicks her legs and squeals a little bit. It's a good feeling. Another good feeling is going to pick up my parents at the airport for a weekend visit. Upon finally spotting my dad through all the people, I waved a reserved but happy "Hello!" from a distance - but on the inside, make no mistake, I was pumping my arms and kicking my legs and squealing a little bit. It is good to see my folks.

"Hey everybody! It's Papa!"

The main purpose of the trip, of course is undefined and general quality time. And we had lots of that. But we did some specific things, too. We were at the Nelson-Atkins almost all day Saturday, which turned out to be Slow Art Day (who knew!?). I think we complied with the name of the day - if not the official rules of the event - by taking our sweet time traipsing through the place. The Original Rules of Basketball was our first destination, though an installation in progress, some Dutch paintings, and this English owl stopped us on our way.

Owl Jug, England, 1670-1710, lead-glazed slipware; I stopped to look at it on behalf of Julia Minerva

Dad and James Naismith

We arrived at - and enjoyed - the Rules exhibit, then dined at the Rozelle Court. By this part of
our day, Sergio had rejoined us, having excused himself for the morning to participate in Record Store Day (so much to experience on April 16!). He told us all about his lucky finds. After lunch we slowly made our way to the simple but stunning Monet exhibit (together again for the first time in 30 years!) - a must see. Truly.

in the Bloch building, capturing the moment, just before entering the Monet exhibit, where no photography was allowed

April 15 was a notable day as well. Dad remembered that it was Tax Day of 1979 when he and mom, who was pregnant with me, moved into the house I was to grow up in. Then, fast forward 32 years and it's Tax Day 2011 and Mom, Dad, Julia and I are in the lobby of the Plaza library listening to Julia intentionally say "Mama" for the first time. A milestone! Granted, she doesn't know who "mama" is or that "mama" is even a person. But still - she mimicked my mom saying it and it was clearly a milestone moment - just one key step beyond the "muhmuhmuhmuh" that'd she mustered up on occasion before.

Julia saying "mama"

Nothing to celebrate or observe on April 17 (that we knew of) - it was just a leisurely Sunday and a comfortable lunch and quality time and nice weather and chatting and holding Julia - every moment worth savoring before having to send Mom/"Honey" and Dad/"Papa" off again to catch their plane. I can't wait to see them again.

"Hooray for Honey and Papa!"

Seven Months

2011-04-19T22:09:00.000-05:00

Now she sits up and has teeth! And she keeps rolling and sucking her thumb. Sweet as can be.

Beto and Lindsey's Visit (a photo essay)

2011-04-11T23:29:00.005-05:00

...and 100% cute at the Eat Local and Organic Expo in Shawnee

The last night of Sergio's beer project - we celebrated by welcoming his cousin and his wife - Beto and Lindsey - who came to KC for yet another wonderful visit.

We managed to eek into a tour at the Boulevard Brewery at the last minute - it was such a fun treat.

Beto and Lindsey are photographers and these are just some of the amazing pictures they took.

This one in particular is a personal favorite of mine.

A Study in Orange, 2011

Eat Local and Organic Expos

2011-03-28T12:28:00.004-05:00

Week one back in the workplace was wonderful. I got right back into the groove, and it felt (in a good way) like I never even left. Julia and Sergio did just fine at home without me; she's eating and sleeping well and Sergio's having a blast.

So what better way to put a cap on that first week of transition and to prepare for the second week back - and to celebrate Spring, despite the snow! - than to see all my farmer friends and to stock up on fresh food at the Eat Local Expo last Saturday in Independence.

Forsythia for spring - Independence Expo

I bought a big batch of salad greens, micro greens, scallions, carrots, and my favorite spring delicacy - peashoots. The snow outside my window last night seemed far, far away from the newness and freshness of the scallions and peashoots that I was packing into my salad for lunch today.

I'll be going back for more next Saturday at the Eat Local and Organic Expo in Shawnee. See you then?

Transition

2011-03-21T00:08:00.006-05:00

"I'm beginning to perceive motherhood as a long, slow letting go,

of which birth is just the first step." - Sandra Steingraber, Having Faith

Yesterday Julia turned 6 months old. Yesterday we fed her her first solid food. Today is the spring equinox. Tomorrow Sergio starts his 6-month parental leave ... and tomorrow ... I go back to work. It is a weekend of transition for all of us.

baking cookies with baby

I am confident in my decision to return to work full time. Over the last 6 months I've wondered if I would be; I'm so pleased to discover that I am. There are things I'm looking forward to about going back to work. Even though it is hard to say good-bye to my maternity leave. Everything during my final week of leave felt sort of ceremonial. Wednesday I baked cookies all afternoon; Thursday we had a play date at the park (a play date for the mommies more than the babies); on Friday I dressed Julia in my favorite outfit of hers, we ran some of my favorite errands (3 grocery stores!), I had 2 cappuccinos and I only cried twice. These are all petty little things but since it was my last week of leave, they managed to take on greater meaning. (And - to clarify - it wasn't the cappuccinos that made me cry - it was Julia's smile.)

playing at the park

The things that I will miss during the day: Julia's many sweet expressions; her limitless and indiscriminate curiosity (Oh, is that your phone? Can I see it? Oh, is that your water bottle? Can I see it? Oh, is that your khun ma pad thai? Can I have some?); the way she gums everything, even if it tastes weird or is uncomfortable (the rough side of the velcro strap or a piece of paper); and - of course - nursing. I will so look forward to savoring all of these things when I come home every night.

breakfast with Daddy

And during the day I will savor the knowledge that she's in good hands with her dad.

Six Months

2011-03-20T01:00:00.001-05:00

6 months old • 13 lbs, 15 oz • precious and happy and goin' places!

Local Thumbprint Cookies

2011-03-18T23:50:00.005-05:00

I've been wanting to make these cookies for a long time now. Although I wasn't sure it was precisely these that I wanted to make. I just wanted cookies that involved pecans and jam (local!) and couldn't find what I wanted in my big book of cookies (apparently not big enough). But that was last year and my supply of jam started running low and I couldn't bear to use the last of my precious preserves in a cookie, so I forgot about this idea.

thumbprint cookies

But, this year I did a MUCH better job of stocking my "larder" and - even as we are approaching spring - I have an ample supply of jams, jellies, preserves, and butters. Then I was reading my colleague Andre's blog and saw not one, but two thumbprint cookies recipes. Neither of those was quite what I wanted, but they reminded me of my forgotten quest and sent me to this PERFECT recipe.

most of my ingredients came from somewhere close by

I made these with my local Heartland Mill flour, local Shatto butter, my own local peach jam (ever and always so pleasantly reminiscent of my grandmother's fried pies), local eggs, and the last of my Missouri pecans. Only my vanilla and sugar came from "undisclosed" locations.

baby-wearing and cookie-rolling

When you consider the provenance of my ingredients and thus the carbon footprint of my version of these cookies - "thumbprint" does seem like an appropriate name. (PS: I didn't actually use my thumb. My nifty trick to ensure uniformity was to use my half teaspoon to create the indentions.)

melt-in-your-mouth buttery, crumbly

These cookies were EXACTLY what I had been wanting.

33 beers: Cantillon Grand Cru Lambic

2011-03-15T21:52:00.003-05:00

This month I've been craving beer way more than usual, which I'm sure is due to Sergio enjoying - and then blogging about - a different beer each night to celebrate his 33rd birthday. You can read about each beer, see each beer buddy, and watch each video at his blog 33beers.net. But here you can read about tonight's beer as I'm copying onto my blog my post as guest blogger from his blog.

This week our symphony season tickets renewal packet arrived in the mail, complete with a map of the brand new Kauffman performing arts center. (What does this have to do with beer? Serge, I think your guest blogger had a leetul too much to drink!) (It does have to do with beer! Wait for it…) Sergio evaluated the map to find the best seat in our price range; he always knows how to find the best seat in the house. I’m ignorant when it comes to acoustics, so I’m lucky that I’m always sitting next to Sergio and thus I’m always getting great seats.

As it goes with acoustics, so it goes with beer. (See!) Sergio has a more finely tuned palate than I do. I don’t know much about beer; but I know what I like. And most of the time, when Sergio recommends a beer to me, I like it. And so I’m lucky that I’m always drinking beer with Sergio, and always enjoying some really tasty brews.

Tonight’s beer was an experience unlike any other. It was the least beer-like beer I’ve ever had. And definitely something I couldn’t have appreciated without Sergio’s insights. He shared all his recently-acquired knowledge about lambic ales (or “iambic,” as the autocorrect wants me to say – which is appropriate for the Ides of March, says Sergio) and I was better able to enjoy this peculiar, flat, sour ale that reminded us of something … What is it? … Something … Can’t put my finger on it … Ah ha! Sergio figured it out (of course)! That’s what it is! (Watch the video to find out.)

From the Library of Julia ... and Emily

2011-03-11T22:41:00.009-06:00

I was inspired by a post on my friend Seana's blog and by the "6 by 6" program that I saw recently at the JoCo library (6 skills your child should develop so she will be ready to read by age 6 - a great program. Seriously. Click on it.). So, I decided to write about some of the books that Julia and I have been reading. Well, I've been doing most of the reading. Julia does all the squealing, giggling, and - occasionally - gnawing of the books when she can get her hot little hands on them.

Also, in my googling, I found this great website - ReadToYourBaby.com - where I learned some helpful insights on "parentese," ("Parentese is not baby talk - oo es da cootest witto baby in da wold - which is unintelligible. Parentese makes language more intelligible.") which have already influenced my conversations with Julia.

These are some of the highlights from her library, from my library, and from the public library ...

Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton

They say that babies will respond to lilt, meter, and intonation when you read to them. Sandra Boynton's books have some delightful lilt and meter. I intersperse my own interpretation of "Turkey in the Straw" throughout the book. We also have Belly Button Book - "Bee-bo!" - equally sing-songy and well crafted. I like the books that are actually well written - not the ones that sound like they were written by a computer - "Butterfly. Silky Wings. Touch the rainforest!"

You Are My I Love You by Maryanne Cusimano Love

I read this one to Julia when she was an itty bitty tiny baby newborn. The title sounded cheesy and the illustrations weren't my style, so I wasn't expecting much. But by the end of it I was in tears. Maybe I was extra susceptible in my post partum state. But, nothing I've read - for adults or for children - has done such a sweet job of describing the balance between parent and child.

So ... when they say that babies respond to lilt and intonation, I'm pretty sure that also means that you can read them the phone book and if you use the right lilt and intonation, they'll enjoy it. So since Julia can't really tell the difference between a Pulitzer prize winner and Is This My Nose, I figure I might as well get some of my own reading done while I'm helping Julia along the path of literacy. But don't worry - I am reading her the more age-appropriate texts almost every day.

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

I loved Interpreter of Maladies and The Namesake - so when Unaccustomed Earth came out, I was pleased, but was inexplicably put off by the title. Until I read the introductory quotation from Nathaniel Hawthorne - "Human nature will not flourish, any more than a potato, if it be planted and replanted, for too long a series of generations, in the same worn-out soil. My children have had other birthplaces, and, so far as their fortunes may be within my control, shall strike their roots into unaccustomed earth." And then I remembered why I love Jhumpa Lahiri and why her work moves me so.

Alice Waters and Chez Panisse by Thomas McNamee

I found this book on the shelf near all the baby food cookbooks I was hunting down at the library. I thought I would just read a few pages of it at the library and leave it - but I got hooked on the story and had to bring it home with me. It read like a captivating A&E biography or something made for TV. It was highly entertaining and read quickly. And - because I read about it in an exaggerated tone - Julia got a big kick out of how the famed, crazed, 40-year-old Chez Panisse has - amazingly - only recently started generating profit.

Same Same by Marthe Jocelyn and Tom Slaughter

Another one I picked up at the library was this one - a super simple book of illustrations - three on each page that are similar. Things that make music, things that are striped, things with four legs, etc. One thing from each page joins the trio on the next page - it makes for a great association game. Fun to read and it'd be a fun activity, too, for an older child. Not much rhyme, lilt, or meter - but such a fun idea. And I think Julia could appreciate the high contrast illustrations.

Making Baby Food (Ode to a Vitamix)

2011-02-24T00:21:00.004-06:00

The Badseed Winter Farmers Market is ending this month, and Julia will be ready for solid foods soon - and we broke down and bought a Vitamix (!) - so, we've been making baby food!

"Mommy, can I eat some yet?"

Julia wore her sweet-potato-orange bib for our first session, which I thought was very clever of her. These days she has been intently watching us eat and drink, slowly but surely recognizing how we pick things up and put them in our mouths. She'll be ready soon.

silicone ice cube trays - a helpful gift from my mom

One of the reasons (the many reasons) we bought the Vitamix was because of the recipes for baby food in the back of the book. Using the Vitamix is so perfect for baby food that I can't imagine owning a separate baby food maker. I totally sound like the Vitamix demonstration lady at Costco, but it's true! It's an amazing machine and purees like magic.

smells so good

So two weeks ago I bought five pounds of sweet potatoes at Badseed - they were the last of the season for Bigg Blue Farm, so I'm glad I caught them in time! Then last weekend I bought 6 hefty acorn squashes, also from Bigg Blue Farm. (PS: the small amount of acorn squash puree left over in your Vitamix, blended with orange juice and some frozen fruit, makes a really good smoothie!) Having exhausted our orange options for now, next on the docket are some canned green beans from last year. (Won't be making a smoothie with left over green beans ... or will we?)

sweet potato puree

As the winter season wanes, we eat what we've been saving and the freezer (chockablock with preserved harvest at the beginning of the winter) slowly empties; so I am filling it back up with baby food. Tightly sealed perfect little cubes of colorful, local, organic baby food.

many cubic inches of baby food

Five Months

2011-02-19T16:59:00.002-06:00

5 months old ... 13 pounds, 12 ounces ... so sweet we can hardly believe it!

Long Trip to OKC

2011-02-15T23:33:00.008-06:00

I decided a while back that a good use of my maternity leave would be to take a long trip to OKC to spend several days of un-rushed quality time with friends and family. It was a very good idea indeed.

Julia and I were scheduled to fly in Wednesday morning but the threat of a blizzard made me change my tickets to Tuesday night. When Mom and Dad picked me up from the airport and there wasn't a snow flake to be found, I jokingly accused them of having fabricated the whole weather advisory just to get 15 extra hours with Julia. But come Wednesday morning, the forecast came true and I was glad I was cozy at my parents' house and not trying to fly.

about 6 inches

We were only snow bound for a bit - not long enough to keep me from having a nice dinner out with my friends on Thursday night. The weather subsided soon enough for Julia to enjoy a few special visitors and visits, including having a whole day plus another whole evening with Mema.

sitting with Mema

holding hands

Ling and Minli were out of school two days and I suppose we should have gone out and made snow angels or snow people or something. But we didn't have appropriate winter wear and Honey had a recipe for pretzels, so we stayed inside and baked instead.

Best Pretzels Ever

Julia learning about pink from the expert

quality time with Papa

a traditional sink bath at Honey's

Sergio joined us Friday night after several long days of missing his Jujube. By Saturday, the snow was melting and the weather was downright gorgeous when we went to Minli's and Ling's basketball games.

Also on Saturday we prepared for two red-themed holidays - making the little creme wafers that we often make in my family for Valentine's Day, and donning red clothes to wear to a Chinese New Year party that night.

These cookies were so much more
delicious than I remember them being. I forgot to take a picture of the heart-shaped ones; Dad took a picture of the last three cookies and sent it to me.

Year of the Rabbit!

We headed home on Sunday and the whole way back to KC I thought about those delicious little Valentine's Day wafers ... and I kind of wished I could have stayed one more day so Julia could have spent Valentine's Day with her Honey and Papa. But it never matters how long or short my trips to OKC are, nor does it matter if they fall on a holiday or an anyday ... I always wish I could stay just one more day.

2011 - Year of the Soup - Part 2

2011-02-02T14:18:00.011-06:00

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, we've been eating a lot of soup so far this year. We won't go the whole year, but we have managed to go an entire month, and, proudly, we've only repeated one soup. And the most amazing thing is - I have yet to tire of soup. We diversify our menus on the weekends, which I think helps. But during the week, the crock pot and I get nice and cozy and each night we eat soup after soup after soup.

So I decided to post again on this because I'm pretty dang proud of the diversity of our soups. I included recipes if you're interested, dear Reader. But if you're not interested (and I won't blame you - it is a lot of recipes), let me direct you to the Harissa Sauce. If you read nothing else from this post, scroll down and get the Harissa Sauce recipe - it's super easy and very tasty.

Tuesday, January 18: Moroccan-Inspired Vegetable and Chickpea Stew (see recipe below) This is the first of two non-committal "Moroccan" recipes we've done - I say non-committal because, for some reason, this recipe book which is comfortable saying "Indian," "Mediterranean," "Hungarian," and "Greek" without hesitation, curiously feels compelled to qualify its Moroccan recipes with "-style" and "-inspired." At any rate - both Moroccan-ish recipes were delicious. To distinguish it from the other one, I call this one "the one with fruit."

Wednesday, January 19: Pesto-Infused White Bean and Sun-dried Tomato Stew (see recipe below) For this delicious pasta-esque soup I pulled from my freezer my own pesto (local but for the olive oil!) and sun-dried tomatoes (locally grown and dehydrated!).

Thursday, January 20: Corn Chowder (see recipe below) This is a slow cooker recipe, but I cooked it on the stove top - which I've found works well with lots of the soup and stew recipes in this book. It was a nice departure from this week's chunky stews.

Monday, January 24: Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili (see recipe below) Another improvisation here - my secret ingredient was Lew Edmister's smoked Hungarian peppers. They are so flavorful and taste like they came straight from the fire, even though they came from my freezer. Black or red beans would work on this recipe. Just don't leave out the chipotle.

Tuesday, January 25: Potato Stew (see recipe below) This was a classic and pleasantly-boring selection in our wide array of soups.

Wednesday, January 26: All Day Minestrone (see recipe below) I finally made a minestrone - I've been thinking of making one during this whole mad soup fest. This one was a winner for sure.

Monday, January 31: Creamy Tomato Soup with Israeli Couscous (reprise) This is the first repeat of this entire month. It was a big hit the first time so we decided to go ahead and bring it back - this time with orzo instead of soup shells. I have got to find that Israeli couscous...

Tuesday, February 1: Very Vegetable Gumbo (see recipe below) This was the first day of the big blizzard, a weather event of historic proportions, not only for the amount of snow but also for the amount of publicity, FB chatter, and silly names (i.e. "snowmaggedon" and "blizaster"). We spent the day indoors, watching the snow fall and enjoying the aroma of gumbo.

Wednesday, February 2: Moroccan-Style Lentil and Chickpea Soup - "the one with harissa" (see recipe below) Day two of "snowpocalypse" - same as day one. Stayed at home, watched our neighbors dig their cars out of the snow, enjoyed the aroma of another Moroccan-esque meal, and - towards the end of the day - made Harissa sauce, which was so, so tasty. I will no doubt be making this sauce again before I make this soup again. The soup was delicious, mind you. But the harissa was spectacular.

Thursday, February 3: Black Bean Soup (see recipe below) Classic, simple, and delicious.

...

The following recipes are from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker.

Moroccan-Inspired Vegetable and Chickpea Stew - aka "the one with fruit"
Slow cooker size: 4-6 quart
Cook time: 6-8 hours
Setting: Low
Serves: 4 to 6

1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 shallots, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 small bell pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
8 ounces green beans, ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups slow-cooked or 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup mixed dried fruit (apricots, apples, prunes, raisins, etc.), chopped
1/4 cup imported green olives, drained, halved, and pitted
1 Tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallots, carrot, bell pepper, and garlic. Cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger, cinnamon, cumin, paprika, and turmeric and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds to bring out the flavors.

Transfer the mixture to a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add the green beans, chickpeas, tomatoes, stock, and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

About 20 minutes before serving, add the peas and dried fruit.

When ready to serve, stir in the olives and sprinkle with the parsley.

Pesto-Infused White Bean and Sun-Dried Tomato Stew
Slow Cooker Size: 4 quart
Cook time: 6 to 8 hours
Setting: Low
Serves: 4

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (or canned tomatoes)
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
3 cups slow-cooked or two cans cannellini or other white beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups vegetable tock
salt and pepper
1/4 cup pesto

Heat the oil in a medium-size skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the onion to a 4-quart slow cooker. Add the bell pepper, both kinds of tomatoes, the beans, and stock; season with salt and pepper, cover, and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Just before serving, stir in the pesto.

Corn Chowder
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped (optional)
1 Yukon gold potato - OR 1 medium sweet potato - peeled and diced
1 1/2 - 3 cups frozen corn kernels
1/2 small yellow bell pepper
4 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper (use smoked salt if you have it - delicious!)
1 large ripe tomato, seeded and chopped (optional)
1 Tablespoon snipped fresh chives, parsley, or other fresh herbs (optional)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and bell pepper and cook until softened.

Add the rest of the vegetables (to the stove top pot or to the slow cooker) and bring to a boil; cook on medium heat for 30-45 minutes. In a slow cooker, cook on low for 6 hours.

Ladle 2 cups of the soup solids into a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Or blend partially with an immersion blender. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with chopped tomato and herbs.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili
Slow Cooker Size: 4-6 quart
Cook Time: 6-8 hours
Setting: low
Serves 4-6

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium bell pepper, seeded and chopped (AND/OR two small smoked peppers from Lew)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 Tablespoon chili powder or more, to taste (or 1/4 t. cumin, 1/2 t. oregano, dash of paprika)
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 can crushed tomatoes or (1 quart of canned tomatoes)
1 1/2 cups slow-cooked or 1 can black beans
2-3 cups water or vegetable broth
2 Tablespoons of tomato paste (optional)
salt
1 Tablespoon minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper (and/or smoked pepper), and garlic, cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chili powder and cook for 30 seconds. Add the sweet potatoes and stir to coat with the spices.

Transfer mixture to the slow cooker. Add the tomatoes, beans, and broth; season with salt, cover, and cook on low 6 to 8 hours.

When ready to serve, stir the chipotles into the chili.

Potato Stew (a modification of "Almost Irish Stew")
Slow Cooker Size: 4-6 quart
Cook Time: 6-8 hours
Setting: low
Serves 4-6

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium potatoes
3 cups vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper
1 small chunk of frozen collard greens (or 3 large kale leaves or other dark leafy greens, cooked in simmering water until tender)
2 Field Roast Italian sausages (optional)

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and carrots, cover and cook until softened.

Transfer the onions and carrots to a 4-6 quart slow cooker. Add the potatoes, stock, wine, soy sauce, herbs and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

About 10 minutes before serving, stir in cooked greens. (Add chopped, cooked sausage on top when serving.)

All Day Minestrone
Slow Cooker Size: 4-6 quart
Cook Time: 7-8 hours
Setting: low
Serves 6

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 ounces green beans, ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 can of diced tomatoes left undrained
1 medium zucchini or yellow summer squash
6 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper
1/2 cup raw or 1 cup cooked ditalini or other small soup pasta (we used soup shells)
1/4 cup pesto

Pour the oil in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic, cover and cook on High while you assemble the remaining ingredients.

After they've been prepped, add the green beans, tomatoes, zucchini, and stock to the slow cooker and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low 7 to 8 hours.

If using raw ditalini, about an hour before you're ready to serve, add it to the slow cooker and cover.

Just before serving, stir in the pesto and already cooked pasta if using.

Very Vegetable Gumbo
Slow Cooker Size: 4-6 quart
Cook Time: 8 hours
Setting: low
Serves 4

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1/2 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
3 cups vegetable stock
2 cups tomato juice or vegetable juice
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1-2 zucchinis, chopped
approx 2 cups of okra (frozen or fresh - mine was local, of course, and frozen)
1 teaspoon filé powder (optional - if you use okra, you don't need filé)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
2 cups hot cooked long-grain rice (I used 1 cup, dry, basmati rice)

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic, cover and cook until softened.

Transfer vegetables to a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, add the stock, tomato juice, tomatoes, zucchini, okra and/or filé powder, and thyme, season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low 8 hours.

Just before serving stir in Tabasco and Liquid Smoke. To serve, divide the cooked rice evenly into four soup bowls and top with the gumbo.

Moroccan-Style Lentil and Chickpea Soup - "the one with harissa"
Slow Cooker Size: 4-6 quart
Cook Time: 6-8 hours
Setting: low
Serves 4-6

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup dried lentils, picked over and rinsed
one 14.5 ounce can plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 1/2 cups slow-cooked or one 15.5 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
6 cups vegetable stock
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 to 2 teaspoons harissa sauce, to taste, plus more to serve (recipe follows)
salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and garlic, cover and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, and cardamom, stirring to coat the vegetables.

Transfer the onion mixture to a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, add the lentils, tomatoes, chickpeas, and stock, cover, and cook on Low for 8 hours.

About 10 minutes before serving, add the lemon juice and harissa and season with salt and pepper. A small bowl of harissa may be placed on the table for those who wish to add more.

Harissa Sauce
In addition to using this spicy condiment in the Moroccan soup, it can also be used to spice up other soups, as well as stews and grilled vegetables. Mild chiles, such as ancho, may be used instead of hot ones if you prefer. Harissa sauce can also be purchased ready-made in Middle Eastern and specialty stores.

4 dried red chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon ground caraway seeds
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons water

Break the chiles into pieces and place in a heatproof bowl. Add enough boiling water to cover and let soak for 5 minutes.

Drain the chiles and place them in a food processor. Add the garlic, oil, caraway, and coriander, and salt and process until puréed. Add the water and process until smooth. Transfer the sauce to a tightly covered container and store in a refrigerator until ready to use. Properly stored, it will keep for several weeks.

Makes about 1/2 cup.

Black Bean Soup
Slow Cooker Size: 4-6 quart
Cook Time: 8 hours
Setting: low
Serves 4-6

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups slow cooked or 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
4 cups vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, bell pepper, and garlic, cover and cook until softened.

Transfer the cooked vegetables to the slow cooker, add the beans, tomatoes and their juice, stock, bay leaves, cumin, thyme, and cayenne, and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours.

Remove and discard the bay leaves and taste to adjust seasoning. Just before serving, stir in the lemon juice if using. To thicken, purée at least 2 cups or up to one half of the soup solids with an immersion blender right in the cooker, or ladled into a regular blender or food processor and returned to the cooker.

If you've read this far, I suggest you go ahead and buy Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker. You won't be sorry.

Join a CSA!

2011-01-31T12:36:00.003-06:00

This week the talk is all about snow and ice and wintry mix and single digit temps, but instead I'm thinking about fresh vegetables.

As frozen as it may be out there, this is actually a good time of year to think about a Community Supported Agriculture program. The farmers are thinking of it, of course, getting ready for the season already. I put in my deposit for my CSA in December and I'm already looking forward to fresh veggies in May.

I love my CSA and feel like I've become CSA evangelist, telling anyone who'll listen about the marvels of local, organic vegetables every week. About new recipes and new vegetables. About finding out that I actually love tomatoes. About getting to know "my" farmers - heroes in my world.

This year the KC CSA Coalition is hosting a CSA Open House on Saturday, February 12 - an opportunity to meet CSA farmers directly, find out about their CSA programs and - hopefully - join! It'll be a great opportunity to secure a spot in a CSA program. You'll be glad you did when May rolls around and the weekly freshness starts flowing in.

2011 CSA Open House
Saturday, February 12, 2011
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
600 Broadway, 4th floor, KCMO

click for more info, a map, and details on parking

• Meet your local CSA farmers ALL IN ONE PLACE!
• Find out how Community Supported Agriculture works with your life!
• Feed your family FRESH, LOCAL, ORGANICALLY-RAISED
veggies, fruits, meats, eggs, and more!
• Invest your hard-earned money in our local economy!
• Enhance your farm-to-plate connection!

KC Symphony: Ravel's Spanish Rhapsody, Plus Shostakovich

2011-01-29T11:34:00.000-06:00

Last night we went to the symphony for the first time this season, having been otherwise occupied last fall. We called on Sergio's sister to watch Julia for us; to have a trusted family member near by who can watch our baby while we enjoy some live music is, I realize, a priceless opportunity. But priceless though it may be, we tried to offer some payment for her generosity by bringing dinner over before hand to say thanks. And so together we enjoyed delicious take out from Cupini's and some nice dinnertime conversation, including the most recent escapades of Emilio the Great, our 15-month old nephew who (like many his age) has a penchant for trouble. Recently he managed to pull down a lamp, paint a small space of wall with Vaseline, and ruin an alarm clock with milk - all in the space of five minutes and all from the comfort of his crib.

It was precisely this destructive but hilarious mini-rampage that I was imagining during the brief, rambunctious first piece of the evening - the Interlude from La boda de Luis Alonso, a zarzuela by Jerónimo Giménez - which was six minutes of delightfully raucous and rowdy music that seemed like a fitting soundtrack to Emilio's adorable tirade, as I imagined it.

Adding to the energy of the evening was Giancarlo Guerrero, a memorable return guest conductor, whose excitement and charisma evoked rollicking giggles from the man in the seat next to me.

After Sinfonía No. 4 by Roberto Sierra, a curious but very new piece, it was time for intermission and I was disappointed to discover that after 31 minutes of symphonic works, the music playing in my head was the tinny little song from the frog toy hanging in Julia's carseat. Go figure. I couldn't get her off my mind so I called Christy to check in. I got the feeding/diaper/sleep report just as the end-of-intermission bell was ringing and we scuttled back to our seats to prepare for Alisa Weilerstein on Cello playing Shostakovich's Concerto No. 2 in G Major for Cello and Orchestra.

As I've said before, I'm not a huge fan of Shostakovich, but I try to be open-minded and so I started reading about the piece in the program. It went a little something like this - "... at the center of the Concerto stands a cheeky scherzo in the sardonic and bitingly witty vein - let's see, if Julia had a new diaper at 7:30 then I guess she wouldn't need a new diaper until - a wistful, limpid motive in rocking 6/8 meter; a martial theme in leaping intervals; and a hymnal phrase in slower tempo - so if she's asleep right now and she just ate she'll probably be fine until--wait , what time do we get out here?" So on and so forth. So I gave up reading and decided just to listen instead.

The Shostakovich was ... how shall I put it? Just really, really sad. I'm not just saying that because I managed to read just enough of his bio to learn about his failing health and his time in a sanatorium. The whole thing was just all mournful and sort of defiant. I'm not complaining, mind you. An evening of live orchestral music - no matter how mournful - is a welcome break from the constant hum of Julia's blow dryer white noise and 24/7 NPR (my own comforting white noise, I guess).

Ms. Weilerstein, interpreted this mournful concerto adeptly and passionately. I decided to focus on her performance and let my mind go - instead of letting the emotion of the piece get to me and send me to all the anxious places in my imagination - and I found myself wondering if it's hard to play the cello if you are nine months pregnant which Ms. Weilerstein is not but - what can I say? - I still have baby on the brain.

The evening ended with a bit more wild rumpus in the form of Rapsodie Espagnole, written by Maurice Ravel while he was living hermit-like on a boat, which somehow seems relevant when you hear the piece, especially the part at the beginning that he described at "voluptuously drowsy." This Spanish rhapsody was a nice book end to the zarzuela that started the evening and by the time we left, right on time to pick up Miss Julia, the tinny little toy frog music was - at last - looooong gone.

The Last Year and The New Year

2011-01-22T00:35:00.014-06:00

Perhaps it's a little late in January for a 2010 retrospective, but I have spent most of this month pondering the course of the last twelve months, so a gathering of these thoughts three weeks into the new year doesn't feel too late to me.

I rang in the new year this year feeling completely awash in the reality of Julia; on New Year's Eve, a few minutes before midnight, I pulled her out of the pack and play so she'd be with us at the stroke of midnight. As soon as I had her in my arms it dawned on me that she had been with us at the stroke of midnight last year, and that at that same moment a year ago, I was already pregnant with her and didn't know it yet. And suddenly the miracle of life in all its magnitude blew me away all over again while Julia just kept sleeping in my arms, oblivious and swaddled, looking like a burrito.

Last weekend, on the Martin Luther King, Jr holiday, I celebrated our one-year 'preg-iversary' (as one friend dubbed it) remembering that day last January that Sergio and I found out we were having a baby. That milestone being so close to the new year triggered lots of memories and so, like a rolling snowball or a pregnant belly that steadily increases in size, I have been recalling every stage of the pregnancy, the miraculous progression, the full range and spectrum of emotions, each season of the year, each "babymoon," each step along the way - step over step, step over step - that has brought us to today.

December marked the end of the phenomenal year of the baby. It also marked the end of the "fourth trimester," as it's known, and the start of January was roughly the half-way point in my gloriously long six-month maternity leave. So since the year began, I have slowly started thinking about work again. I am prepping myself to go back, reminding myself of the things I love about my job even though I know I'll spend the first days (weeks? months?) thinking only about Julia's every wiggle, giggle, and smell.

tummy time

Which are the things that have filled up this long leave - they are the tiny, minute details that I spend the day collecting - sometimes with my camera, always with my head and heart. We have our daily activities and routines, which I will miss ... or to spin it more optimistically, our daily activities and routines which I am going to savor, relish, and wallow in for the next two months until I turn her over to Sergio for six months of quality time with Daddy.

morning tea and teether routine

Not just routines and activities but developments, too. Everyday it's something new. Learning to hold the teether and bring it to her mouth (if only for a second before she flails her arm out and sends the teether flying), learning new chatting and chirping and squealing and gurgling sounds, learning to grab and bat at the rattles hanging above her on the play mat.

There isn't a moment to lose with this little girl.

Julia having a lengthy conversation with herself in the mirror, reminiscent of that one scene in "Breakfast at Tiffany's."

Four Months

2011-01-19T13:39:00.000-06:00

4 months old • 12 pounds, 11 ounces • 24 inches long • 100% delightful

Junior Milk Monster Association

2011-01-14T01:02:00.006-06:00

Julia's initials or Junior Milk Monster Association

I'm gettin' a little crafty here on my maternity leave! I was inspired by the fantastic onesies that our friends and coworkers made for our shower last summer and I had some left over fabric samples, so I had this great idea to do a onesie with Julia's initials. So when my mom was in town for the baptism, she helped me get this project going. It took a tad bit longer than I thought it would and if we were to sell these puppies on Etsy we figured we'd want to charge about 50 bucks for them. Which is why this one is and will remain a one of a kind.

Sergio helped with the font. I should have let him do all the blanket stitching, too, instead of me - it would have come out a little less, um, homey-looking had his penchant for precision played a part. At any rate - I'm so stinkin' proud of this. And when she out grows it (in no time at all, I'm sure!), I'm making it into a pillow or something with a little more longevity than a 3-6 month onesie. It's too good to put away.

2011 - Year of the Soup

2011-01-11T13:02:00.006-06:00

We've been eating a lot of soup so far this year. And while I don't think we'll actually spend the entire year on a soup diet, we have at least sustained it for nearly two weeks and it's been a blast planning out our menus.

On a regular basis, we make a lot of soups and stews that are terribly similar and formulaic (this one, this one, and this one, for example) and so I was looking to diversify our repertoire with a few new and different soups. Plus, I wanted to take advantage of my being home all day thus allowing for 6-hour soups in the crock pot. So, I've been reading Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker each night before bed, picking out some recipes and trying not to get distracted by the complicated and delicious-sounding non-soup recipes.

We've had a couple of chunky soups or stews, a chili, some smooth pureed soups, some with a tomato base and some without. Each one different, all of them vegan, and most of them as locally sourced as possible. A trip to Badseed's winter market last Friday boosted our ingredient list for the second week of soup and beyond.

So here's what we've had...

Monday: Lentil Soup with Ribbons of Kale - I made this for some friends who had a baby right before Christmas; I'd been craving it ever since, so it was first on the list. An oldie but a goodie.

Tuesday: Creamy Tomato Soup with Israeli Couscous (see the recipe below) - our beloved Cosentino's, alas, did not have Israeli Couscous. But we made do with a charming tiny shell pasta. This was a very fun soup that I intend to add to our regular repertoire.

Wednesday: Red Bean and Quinoa Chili - my "award-winning" chili ... okay, it's not really mine (it's Cynthia Lair's from Feeding the Whole Family) and it really only won second place (out of three chilis) ... but it's delicious nonetheless.

Thursday: Lentil Soup with Ribbons of Kale Redux - I added Field Roast Sausage to spruce up our left overs.

Friday: Dinner out at Eden Alley where we had soup! Potato Dill to be exact.

Saturday: ¡Pozole! Sergio found this super simple and delicious recipe. It's traditionally made with meat, but what ours lacked in traditional ingredients, it made up for in traditional garnishes: radish, red onion, cilantro, lime, and tostadas.

Some fancy smoked salts that Sergio got for Christmas made a nice addition to our other traditional garnishes.

Sunday: On the seventh day, we rested from our soup fest and had a special lunch at Blue Bird Bistro in honor of Julia's baptism.

Monday: Winter Squash Soup (see recipe below) - one giant butternut squash from the Badseed winter market was the star of this show.

Tuesday: Two Mushroom Barley (see recipe below) - if you love mushrooms, you'll love this soup. Funny thing, though - I don't love mushrooms. In fact, I was preparing to eat left over winter squash soup if this little number was going to come out as mushroomy as it smelled all day. But eventually the pearled barley plumped and took a prominent place among the mushrooms and, lo and behold, I actually like it!

Wednesday: Left over Winter Squash (for me) and Two Mushroom Barley (for Sergio)

Thursday: Golden Summer Squash Soup - I know - a weird thing to eat in the winter, right? But it's one of the soups I made in September, before Julia was born, and it's been hanging out in the freezer all this while. It was just as delicious four months later.

Golden Summer Soup with salsa and tostadas

The following recipes are from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker.

Creamy Tomato Soup with Israeli Couscous
Israeli couscous is distinctly different from regular couscous in appearance and flavor. About the size of peppercorns, Israeli couscous can be found in well-stocked supermarkets and gourmet grocers. If unavailable, substitute acini de pepe (peppercorn) pasta, or another small soup pasta such as orzo or ditalini.

Slow cooker size: 4 quart
Cook time: 6-8 hours (ours was done in 6)
Setting: Low
Serves: 4

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
(I added about 1 cup of chopped red peppers)
3 cups vegetable broth
one 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (or one quart of local canned tomato halves!)
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
pinch of sugar or a natural sweetener
2 bay leaves
(I added a teaspoon each of basil and oregano; I also added a 1/2 teaspoon of tamari soy sauce)
salt and pepper
1 cup cooked Israeli couscous
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves for garnish

Heat the oil in a medium-size skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. (You can leave this step out and just but the onion and garlic straight in.)

Transfer the vegetables to a 4-quart slow cooker, add the stock, tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, and bay leaves (and basil and oregano and soy sauce); season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on Low for 6-8 hours. Remove the bay leaves and purée the soup in a food processor or blender or use an immersion blender to purée it in the slow cooker. Adjust the seasonings.

To serve, spoon about 1/4 cup of cooked couscous into the bottom of each bowl, ladle the hot soup on top, and serve sprinkled with the basil.

Winter Squash and Sweet Potato Soup
This soup is a great way to begin Thanksgiving dinner. Best of all, when made in a slow cooker, it frees up the already-crowded stovetop and keeps the soup at a good serving temperature while everyone gathers at the table.

Slow Cooker Size: 4 to 6 quart
Cook Time: 6 hours
Setting: Low
Serves 4-6

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
2 medium-size sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced (I had a huge squash so I used all squash and no sweet potatoes)
4 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and celery, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the cooked vegetables to a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add the sweet potatoes, squash, stock, thyme, and sage; season with salt and pepper, cover, and cook on Low for 6 hours.

Purée the soup in a blender or food processor, working in batches, or directly in the slow cooker using an immersion blender. Taste to adjust the seasonings, and serve hot.

Two-Mushroom Barley Soup
Both dried and fresh mushrooms are used in this satisfying soup popular throughout Eastern Europe. Any kind of dried mushroom is fine for this soup - I especially like the woodsy flavor of porcini. Pearl barley can be found in most supermarket or health food stores.

Slow Cooker Size: 4-6 quart
Cook Time: 6 hours
Setting: Low
Serves 4-6

1 ounce dried mushrooms
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium-sized yellow onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 celery rib chopped
1 cup pearl barley
8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced (we got ours from Paul and Judy at Badseed!)
6 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons minced fresh chives

Place the dried mushrooms in a heatproof measuring cup and cover with hot water. Let sit until softened. Drain, straining and reserving 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid, thinly slice the mushrooms, and set aside.

Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the cooked vegetables to a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add the barley, both kinds of mushrooms, the stock, the reserved mushroom liquid, and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Taste to adjust the seasonings before serving. If a thinner soup is desired, add more broth.

Serve garnished with the chives.

Julia's Baptism / Bautizo de Julia (A Photo Essay)

2011-01-09T18:59:00.001-06:00

Julia, excited about her big day

For the occasion, Julia wore a gorgeous baptism gown knitted by our dear friend and talented knitter Jieun. There was as much ooing and ahhing over the beautiful dress as there was over our beautiful Julia. Thank you, Jieun!

Here she is at the baptismal font, reprising the winning smile with which she wowed Canon Sue during the ceremony.

We are very proud of our Julita and are grateful to everyone who was able to be there to make her day special - Honey and Papa; her padrinos, Christy and Armando; and lots of loving folk at the church.

The Holidays

2011-01-05T14:50:00.008-06:00

This year it was back to our old holiday travel routine - a few days in OKC and a week in Mexico and then ringing in the new year on a plane - only this year we had our newest little travel buddy along for the ride. She was quite a trooper - a good little traveler.

Little Christmas Munchkin

Duendecita de Navidad

But before we left home we had a little bit of Christmas on our own, including a Christmas Tree! With a ton of generous help from Christy and Armando, I was able to pick up my native (but invasive!) eastern red cedar (from Laura at Blue Door Farm) at Badseed market. I do love a free-spirited Christmas Tree; Sergio calls it a Christmas Bush.

The Christmas "Bush"

Another little bit of Christmas, new this year - I finally made it back to the Messiah Singalong at church. I haven't been in 6 years, but I've wanted to go back all this while. So while Jujube hung out with her dad and her tio Armando and learned all about Pink Floyd, Mommy spent three lovely hours trying to remember all the alto parts from Freshman Choir in college. The singalong is a great Christmas tradition and I hope I can go next year.

Christmas candles with a bowl of torn construction paper Christmas ornaments that my brother and I made when we were kids.

our lil flower

A few days before Christmas, we crammed our luggage full of gifts and flew off, first to OKC, then to Mexico. I'm afraid there was no white Christmas for us this year - not like last year's unbelievable weather. But there were other treats to be had this year - getting to see family (quality time with Mema, Jujube getting to finally meet her Uncle Danny) and some long-awaited edible treats, too (tacos and quesadillas and atole and ponche).

eating her hands at Honey and Papa's

Julia's "boot" in Mexico (literal translation for the Spanish word for stocking)

And at the end of the whole trip, we even made it home in time to go to Spin! Neapolitan Pizza - one of the only places open on New Years Day! - to celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary.

3 months

2010-12-22T08:05:00.003-06:00

sweet little girl

Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving, ThanksVegan

2010-12-21T00:35:00.004-06:00

Catching up on the last holiday before the next one kicks in!

Our Lil Turkey (thanks, Erin, for the awesome duds!)

So grateful...

Julia was a jet setter for her first Thanksgiving, traveling first to Nashville then to Greensboro to see - and to meet for the first time - lots of family on both sides.

Cousins!

After two Thanksgivings, we went to Tulsa for Thanksvegan - it was Mommy and Daddy's 7th Thanksvegan - but Julia's 1st Thanksvegan! And she's got the onesie to prove it.

Lentil Loaf - Who needs turkey!?

Mmmmmm - one of the best meals of the year, every year!

Two Months Old

2010-11-19T12:37:00.004-06:00

Two wonderful, wonderful months...

two months, too cute

Now she smiles, particularly every time I stick my tongue out at her; she coos, oohs, and gurgles; and she stares at her mobiles and the ceiling fan for long stretches of time.

She's getting big, but she's still tiny enough to snuggle up in the Moby wrap and sleep. And make perfect strangers say "Awwww."

Namesakes

2010-11-14T20:58:00.008-06:00

It's hard to believe that we picked our baby names back in January (and agreed on them so quickly!) and then spent a good 8 months not knowing whether we were having a Julia or a Sergio. Now that we have our Julia Minerva, I am thinking a lot about where we got those names that we chose so many months (eons!) ago ...

Our Julia is named after two Julias in my family. The first was my great grandmother - Julia Wesson Taylor - my Mema's mother.

Julia #1 - she had red hair - her nickname was "Pet" - Mema says she made the best pickles

"Mama Taylor," as she is commonly known, died in 1971, but her memory is very strong in our family even today. My Mema loves to quote her still ("Anything that you do, do with all your might. Things done by halves are never done right.") and we all frequently recount the most famous story of her dogged determination: when her husband died in 1929 and left Mama Taylor with her 7 children to raise, someone came to take some of the kids away, assuming she couldn't provide for them herself; she told them that no one was taking her children and firmly encouraged them to get off her property. We love that story of the strong-willed matriarch of the family.

The second Julia is the one I know best - Julia Ophelia Akins (née Gandy) - my mother.

Julia #2 (a.k.a. Judy) with Julia #3 (a.k.a. Jujube) on day #1

She was named after her grandmother (the first Julia) though she's most commonly known as Judy. Just as my Mema wanted to name her daughter after her mother, I wanted to name my daughter after my mother ... my mother who is strong and warm, smart and insightful, humble and wise. Truly one of the wisest people I know.

Which brings us to the next namesake, another figure who embodies wisdom - Minerva.

The mosaic of Minerva in the Library of Congress in Washington DC during family vacation 2009 - if we'd known we would eventually have a baby and use that name, we'd have taken a better photo.

Minerva was the Roman goddess of poetry, medicine, wisdom, weaving, crafts, magic, music - or, as we like to tell people, the goddess of all the best stuff. She was the Roman corollary to the Greek goddess Athena, also the goddess of wisdom, and both were represented by owls, symbols of wisdom. (And, as luck would have it, Julia Minerva's mother already had an obsession with owls resulting in two charming owl pillows and an owl onesie for the baby, long before we knew who this baby was.) I have to give credit where it's due here; it was Sergio who suggested that we use this name. I had some misgivings at first, the nature of which I can hardly recall now, now that our aptly named Julia Minerva is here.

Last week at church, we told Canon Sue that our baby's name was "Julia Minerva" and she remarked on the legacy of wisdom that we've bestowed on her. I know Canon Sue was referring to the Minerva name, but I think we've laid it on thick with the two Julias in her history, too. Not just an ancient goddess, but some real life strong, wise women in my family, too. Hope it's not too much to live up to, Julia, but is just enough to inspire.

Calabaza en Tacha

2010-10-31T16:11:00.006-05:00

In honor of the holiday today, I'm sharing a recipe for a dish that I've never actually made. But it's one I tasted last night for the first time and loved. My sister-in-law made it and (thankfully!) brought some over to share.

Calabaza en Tacha

Calabaza en Tacha (also called "candied pumpkin" in English, which is way less fun to say) is a Day of the Dead recipe, which, I think, makes it translate well to a Halloween recipe. But it would also be a nice substitute for those cloyingly sweet yams with the marshmallows on top at Thanksgiving. (And, in fact, I am told you can make this with sweet potatoes, too - Camote en Tacha - which, to someone who likes a little sweet potato with her brown sugar, as Sergio used to joke, sounds divine.)

piloncillo (photo from LatinMerchant.com)

It's a simple recipe - pumpkin cooked with cinnamon, orange juice and zest, water and piloncillo, a Mexican brown sugar with molasses that comes in a lovely shaped cone. Piloncillo isn't usually hard to find these days and, if it is, it's worth the effort to get; it has such a distinct flavor. In a pinch, you can substitute brown sugar and molasses for the piloncillo, but only if you must. Christy said that the traditional preparation method is to pierce the pumpkin with several large holes and to cook it whole. But there are simpler and faster cooking recipes than that. Here are links to a few ...

How to Make Day of the Dead Calabaza en Tacha
Calabaza en Tacha Day of the Dead Recipes
Candied Pumpkin

Earlier today, I asked Sergio what Calabaza en Tacha meant. He said, "Well, calabaza means pumpkin," - um, yeah, I know that already, Sergio: I did take Spanish 1 back in high school - "and en tacha ... I don't know what that means." We debated it further tonight at dinner with Christy and family - but never arrived at an answer - while enjoying our calabaza the traditional way: served cold in a bowl of milk. I thought that was a strange-sounding combo at first, but the creamy milk balances out the super sweet syrup ... it's definitely not strange. It's perfect.

con leche

Happy Halloween!

Book Shower + Fall Break (a photo essay)

2010-10-30T10:33:00.002-05:00

The third weekend of October, we went to OKC for a Book Shower for Julia and for my cousin's wedding...

our little bookworm received over 50 books at her book shower - and no two were the same! Thanks everybody!

the beautiful bride in the gritty out doors - a beautiful wedding

Julia got to meet Mema (and her great aunts, not pictured) ...

... and her cousins, Ling and Minli (and her aunt Tyler, not pictured).

four generations

Then at the end of that week, Tyler and the girls came to spend their Fall Break in KC with me and Julia! Sergio was out of town, so he missed out on our craft activities and sweets-eating...

artwork by Ling, created at Kaleidoscope
(Minli made a sign for Julia that says 'I'm Hungry')

dozing at Latté Land

Minli at Latté Land

Glacé!

frowning over our very-difficult-to-make Paper Source poppies

Since Snow Cone season is over, thank goodness for Fresher than Fresh Snow Pops at Hammerpress letterpress studio!

One Month Old Today

2010-10-19T23:18:00.004-05:00

Julia Minerva, one month old

I can't believe it's been one month. This has been the longest and shortest month of my life. She is totally different now than she was one month ago today - and yet she is still so precious, so small, and so sweet.

And just as much as I did that day that I first laid eyes on her, I love her more than I could have imagined.

She is amazing.

Rosemary Remembrance Cake

2010-10-07T09:03:00.005-05:00

Rosemary for Remembrance

This is an all time favorite of mine. The first time I made it I thought rosemary in a cake was strange. Now, I have made it so often and love it so much, that when I simply smell rosemary, at the farmers market, I immediately think of this cake. Not roasted potatoes or some savory application of the herb, but rather this sweet and sugar-coated cake.

I don't make it without occasion because it's big and I could eat the whole thing myself - but shouldn't. So while Julia's grandparents were visiting and lots of family were over at our place - and since I'd gotten a nice batch of rosemary in our CSA share - I decided to make this last week.

This was my best one yet. Usually I make it with whole wheat flour because that's often all that I have around. But for this one I used local Heartland Mills unbleached, unenriched all purpose flour. And I have to tell you that while there is nothing truly wrong with the whole wheat version, there is definitely something very right about the white flour version. This cake had perfect pound cake density and the crack along the top was just right. It rose well in the oven and each slice held together beautifully.

from Nigella Lawson's Feast
makes approximately 10 slices

1 eating apple (approx. 6oz in weight)
1 small sprig and 2 medium-long sprigs of rosemary (you could just use one long sprig - but I always use two)
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon butter

FOR THE CAKE BATTER
2 sticks butter
3/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon superfine sugar
3 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

Peel, core, and roughly chop the apple and put into a saucepan with the small sprig of rosemary, the teaspoon of sugar, the lemon zest and juice, and butter. Cover the pan and cook on a low heat for 4-8 minutes until the apple is soft. How long this takes really depends on the variety of apple you're using. Leave to cook, and fish out the rosemary sprig when it is cold.

Preheat the oven to 325. Line a 1 lb loaf pan with a loaf liner, or butter and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Put the cooled apple into a food processor and blitz to a pulp. Then add the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, and baking powder and process to a smooth batter. Spoon and scrape into the loaf pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the surface with the remaining tablespoon of sugar and then lay the long sprig(s) of rosemary along the center of the cake. On baking, the rosemary sheds its oil to leave a scented path down the middle of the cake.

Bake the cake for 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean, then leave to cool on a rack. Slip the paper-lined cake out of the pan once it is cool.

My Birth Story

2010-09-29T14:54:00.003-05:00

As most of you know, I've been reading a LOT of birth stories in the last 9 months. Now that Julia's here, I have written my own. It's a long one - but hey, so was my labor. So here I present, for anyone who's interested and particularly for those of you who have asked for it, my birth story.

Contractions started early on Saturday morning – 8 days before my due date. Since I’d convinced myself that this baby was going to be late, I wasn’t even sure they were real contractions. But they were getting me out of bed every hour. Sergio woke up and we made a plan for the day – eat a lot, stay home, call the family, and make applesauce. I had bought 20 pounds of apples at the market the night before and – thinking I had a full week before the baby would arrive – was planning on making a big batch of apple sauce. Before I could even think about getting the water bath canner down, my contractions got bad enough that I decided I couldn’t handle it and should try to sleep as much as possible. I called my mom and told her to go ahead and come – but told her I wasn’t sure if this was false labor or not. When I got off the phone, Sergio told me, “I don’t think this is false labor – if it were false, you’d be making apple sauce.”

By the time mom arrived, it had already been 15 hours since those first waking pangs. But I couldn’t have told you then how long it’d been. I was trying my hardest to ignore the clock; I thought that knowing how long I’d been laboring would only make it worse. If I could trick myself into collapsing all notions of time, maybe I’d be less prone to fatigue. Maybe that worked; maybe not. But the bathtub worked – for sure. As did the exercise ball. Both of those helped soothe the pain when the contractions had gotten so strong I could no longer rest.

Sergio was all abuzz all day – fixing me breakfast and a smoothie, prepping the bag for the hospital, installing the car seat, helping me with distractions at first, then helping with the contractions when they got stronger. He could hardly sit still.

As the day progressed, the weather turned weird – a storm came through and turned the sky green. I was sitting on the exercise ball in my living room, enduring a contraction while loud claps of thunder echoed outside. It was exactly the surreal backdrop that the day called for. I couldn’t believe it was all really happening. I couldn’t believe I was really living the thing I’d been preparing for so much. I couldn’t believe the baby was coming. I couldn’t believe I was finally going to find out if it’s a boy or girl. I couldn’t believe it was still a week before my due date. I couldn’t believe the pain! There was so much to process…

After one final call to the midwife, we decided it was time to head to the hospital. It was about 10 pm. The downpour of the afternoon and evening had tapered off and we took the chance to make a run for it before the storm picked up again. At the hospital, Sergio signed all the paper work while I worked my way deeper and deeper into the trance that sustained me through the rest of the process. I had already begun heading towards “planet birth” – by the time I was admitted and set up in the labor room, I had fully migrated to this other world and I wasn’t coming back for a long time.

I had to switch to some new mantras and visualization techniques as things got harder, faster, more intense (such weak words to describe what I was feeling). I gave up on the gentle, peaceful rowing visual and the kindergarten-ish mantra of “Can’t go under it; can’t go around it; can’t go over it; have to go through it,” that had worked so well at home. I had been doing a great job of focusing on the things that felt good – how relieved I felt in the fading seconds of each contraction, knowing relief was on its way – how good I felt when I could rest and relax between the contractions – how good it felt when my mom or Sergio applied pressure on my back. At first I could work past the pain if I fixated on what felt good. But by the time I got to the hospital, it was a new game and the pain had eclipsed all other sensations. So, I switched to a new visual – each contraction was a big knot and the first half, the rise, of each contraction was me trying to loosen the knot; the second half, the fall, of each contraction was me pulling the knot apart. I began some new moaning and groaning techniques – continued the horse lips or ‘raspberries’ that Ina Mae Gaskin recommends, made some cow noises and low growls, did some sing-song moaning, sometimes singing in tune with the jets of the giant tub, sometimes humming a descending string of notes over and over again. For a while I tried to will the contractions to let go of me – or maybe I was willing myself to let go of the contractions, to let go of my body enough to not feel the pain – I just chanted “let go, let go, let go, let go…” This worked for a while … but eventually I devolved into mantras like “No no no no no…” and “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t, I can’t, I can’t.” When it was time to push the only mantra that was left was very frank, clear-cut, and firm: “Pain equals baby.”

I also devolved into a sort of dark place, which surprised me. At varying points in the hardest times of the night, I took turns hating everyone I know who has had a baby recently – I hated the friends who have done this naturally, the friends who chose to get c-sections, the ones who had no choice but to get a c-section, the one that had no choice but to deliver naturally, the woman whose first labor was only 6 hours, the one who only had to push eight times, the woman who endured a long labor, etc. This feeling was so strange. Prior to my labor, I would have expected that the experiences of others would have been motivating or empowering or encouraging. And maybe they were in the beginning. This was how I’d prepared – I’d sought after everyone else’s birth stories and indiscriminately absorbed every possible scenario, and that was good for me then. But when it came time for my own story, none of those people could help me any more. So maybe it wasn’t that I hated them, it was just that there was nothing left for them to do for me. I had to let them each go – one by one. The deeper I got, the more I had to accept that the only one who could do this was me.

The other thing that surprised me is that I never hated Sergio – he was diligent, firm, and positive in his support and, somehow, not annoying. So much of what I’d read said that you’d likely get frustrated with your support people. Not so with me. I was mostly so far entranced that at certain times I could barely tell who I was reaching out to for help – whose hand I was holding – who was washing my face with a cool rag – who was feeding me ice. It could have been the man from the moon for all I knew. I was nothing but a big writhing sensory receptor by then – very little cognition.

I really wonder if – when I’d begun the contractions at 4 am on Saturday morning – you’d told me it was going to take 28 hours, I’d have been able to go through with it. I’m not sure I could have. Although my mom says I could have. I don’t know if it was the pain that got to me in the end as much as it was the fatigue. I was so desperate for sleep and contractions are a very rude way to wake up, especially when you’ve only been asleep for 5 minutes. By the time I started pushing I was scraping the bottom of the barrel and running on fumes right at the very time I needed to do the hardest work of my life. I was so exhausted during one particularly long break (“long” as in like 7 whole minutes) between contractions that I fell asleep so quickly and deeply that I snored (so they told me later). I was totally wrung dry.

And perhaps literally wrung dry, too, as I had nothing left with which to even cry. I spent about an hour pushing – one hour, approximately 8 separate contractions, 3 different positions, a lot of strange noises, pain like nothing I’d ever imagined, and such slow progress. Or at least it felt slow to me. How could something so excruciating not get the job done? Every push was the hardest, most painful experience of my life and each one was harder than the last. Finally – FINALLY – after what seemed like eons, the head came out. Suddenly, time sped up and in just a sliver of a fraction of a split nanosecond the whole body was out. Sergio caught the baby and with the midwives’ and nurses’ help, put it on my belly. It was writhing and wailing already and with the umbilical cord lying between its legs, I thought it was a boy. Until Sergio investigated and said, “We have a Julia!” And I couldn’t believe it. She was a dream come true.

I wanted to cry buckets from all the relief and joy I felt. But I couldn’t. All I could do was moan and howl with happiness, delight and disbelief. I wanted her close to me and to see her face and to inspect her perfection – as soon as Sergio cut the cord, they brought her up to my chest. When she eventually stopped crying, her eyes were wide open, looking all around as if to say, “What in the world is all this!?” Mom was standing over my shoulder saying that I’d had that same expression when I was born. And I just stared right back at her and said over and over again, I can’t believe you were a girl this whole time.

In the days after delivery I found those wells of tears that had finally filled up again. I was on a euphoric high for the first 12 hours – then I cried when they took my baby to the NICU. Then I was euphoric again when they let me see her. Then I felt stable again. Then one morning in the NICU, with no prompting whatsoever, I hit a gusher. Something triggered one tear and the next thing I know I’m bawling. All the stored up emotion made manifest at once.

Every day since the delivery my memory of the experience has changed. At first when I thought about it, I felt only fatigue, and when postpartum contractions and cramping would remind me of the pain, I would shudder at the memory, in a post-traumatic stress disorder sort of way. But with each day that passes, I feel more pride, relief, and joy, and I remember less pain. With each day, I find myself wanting to relive every moment of those 28 hours, believe it or not – to relive precisely how Julia came into the world. And with each day that I spend with Julia, I still can’t believe that I did it, and that she’s here, and that she’s ours.

Julia and me, at home

It's a Girl

2010-09-23T11:02:00.008-05:00

On September 19 at 8 AM, I delivered a 6-pound, 15-ounce baby girl: Julia Minerva

Julia and me - day one

She is perfect. The delivery was a success (a long, arduous success). And we are so, so happy.

Happy and baffled, I think. I keep trying to find the word to describe how I feel about her. It is like love. Only much more primal, more profound.

And I still can't believe it's a girl. She had everybody fooled. But she was a girl the whole time.

She came a week before her due date or, as I like to call it, right on time. I can't imagine having had to wait another week to meet my Julia.

Do You Know What You're Having?

2010-09-10T00:21:00.006-05:00

The second most popular inquiry that I receive on a regular basis now is "Do you know what you're having?" And each time I'm asked, I smile proudly and say "Nope!" and then willingly admit that this wait has been a lot harder than I thought it would be. I never doubted my decision to not find out my baby's gender. And it's a decision I could have changed at any point. But I am committed to the surprise. And, apparently, I'm obsessed with the mystery.

a bib for Julia Minerva or Sergio Paulo

Not that I need to know for any practical reason - Sergio and I wouldn't be behaving any differently if we knew it was a boy or a girl. Quite the contrary, it's nice not to know the baby's gender in order to keep polarized gender stereotypes at bay for as long as possible. We are not pink-or-blue type people. And yet I still just reeeeaaaalllly want to know if this kid is a boy or a girl.

There are ... 'alternative' methods of ascertaining (with no certainty) the baby's gender and I have heard of all of them: if it kicks on the left, if it kicks on the right ... if you have a waist, if you don't have a waist ... if you carry it high, if you carry it low, etc. All of these measures - plus the Chinese calendar plus the spoon-or-knife-under-the-cushion test plus the grab-the-napkin-off-the-plate method - point towards this being a boy. But then ... the Facebook poll consensus was girl. And Sergio dreamt it was a girl. My mom called it "she" and "her" exclusively for the first several months. Maddox, my art director's son, who has guessed correctly on a few babies recently, has told me twice it'll be a girl. My editor thinks it's a girl. But then ... most of the farmers I buy from regularly have voted boy. (Although, there was one, farmer, whose name is Paul, who said girl and then the farmer next to him said, "Paul, how many kids you got?" and Paul said, "Two," and the second farmer said, authoritatively, "I have seven. I think it's a boy.") Even a perfect stranger in the hallway at work the other day, who asked me the popular question, said, "I didn't find out what I was having either and everyone told me it'd be a boy, but it was a girl. Don't listen to them." But at this point I am listening to no one and everyone alike.

And what about me? What are mama's predictions? I'm sorry to say I've got nothing. I kept waiting for my own instinct to kick in. A hunch or dream - something - anything. All I got were three dreams which amount to inconclusive results: in one dream it was a girl (and I took a picture of her with my mom, her namesake, and asked Sergio if he'd posted it on Facebook yet), in another dream it was a boy (who was already a toddler in the dream), and in the third dream they told me it was a girl but when they handed her to me she was wearing boy clothing. One vote for each plus a vote for transvestite. Not sure where that leaves me.

The funniest thing about this obsession is that it will absolutely vanish into thin air (I suppose) when the baby arrives and when we begin to fall in love with him/her as the him/her he/she has been all along. The other day, Sergio found a picture of our niece Nina from when she was just a day or so old. She was born five weeks early and even at that premature stage she already looked so Nina-esque. Which means our baby - by now a few weeks past the 35-week mark - already looks like what it's going to look like - and yet we don't even know if it's a boy or a girl.

Right now I feel the need to hold both possibilities in tandem - I have to imagine it both ways simultaneously and I find that difficult. But in just a matter of weeks, one of these parallel realities will shift into obscurity - into a funny footnote about this little being. A footnote like how if Sergio had been a girl he'd be Erica or if I had been a boy I'd be Taylor. Which we are not and which we never were. Just as surely as we are Sergio and Emily, this baby is already a fully formed __?__; we just don't know it yet.

Labor Day Gnocchi

2010-09-06T22:44:00.010-05:00

After noticing the other day how many potatoes I've been collecting from each and every trip to the farmers market and CSA pick up, I decided it would be fun to make gnocchi. So with the prospect of a "free" day today, and with enough nesting/crazed cleaning finished up to allow for lengthy fun time in the kitchen, I set about to do just that.

local flour + local potatoes = local gnocchi

Except that the first recipe for gnocchi that I found said something really encouraging like "everything could go wrong," and that made me feel a little bit daunted. Like maybe I should stick to making something I know - just roast those potatoes and be done with it. But Sergio - always more fearless in the kitchen than me - said, "No, let's make the gnocchi. It'll be fine!" And you know what? He was right?

Labor Day gnocchi!

This was the recipe that he found. Super simple. Only two ingredients. Totally accessible. And it totally worked. Granted, it was a lot of work from start to finish - so many steps for so few ingredients. But so fun at each stage of the process.

balls of gnocchi dough, trying to resemble potatoes

step ? in the laborious multi-step gnocchi-forming process

almost done!

Our cute little gnocchis were maybe a little soft and with our whole wheat pasta they were definitely heartier than others. But I was really pleased that they didn't turn out too dense, as some gnocchi are prone to do, landing in one's belly with a resounding thud.

our first batch of gnocchi rising to the occasion

These little "lumps" (the meaning of the Italian word "gnocchi") took well to the pesto sauce we made with lots of last year's frozen pesto ice cubes. With a sprinkling of 'deconstructed pesto' on top (parmesan, salt, pine nuts, and fresh basil), our first-run, whole-wheat, mostly-local Labor Day gnocchi was complete!

pesto, pesto gnocchi

We had Christy and Armando and the kids over for dinner - they were our willing guinea pig guests. This morning when we measured out our pound and a half of potatoes, we had decided it seemed a little paltry. So we doubled the recipe. Of course we now have a whole big batch of leftover gnocchis in the freezer. I'm looking forward to eating them again.

More Than a Birthday (A Photo Essay)

2010-08-31T23:59:00.001-05:00

Just a few images from the wonderful weekend during which I attended our fantastically warm and welcoming baby shower, celebrated my 31st birthday repeatedly, put the baby's room in order, and got a promotion at work - all with special guests, Mom and Dad, at every step along the way.

bouquet of flowers, herbs and vegetables from Badseed farm, courtesy of special shower guest Brooke Salvaggio - who knows exactly what I love

A selection of The Best Onesies in the World created by some of the most creative and considerate people you can imagine. Individualized, personalized, thoughtful, and unique - each one(sie) is perfect.

chasing arrows made from recycled (or upcylced?) green corduroy pants

The Nesting Dolls Onesie - a spot-on depiction - Sergio with his iPhone, Emily with her book, and Baby with his/her eco-friendly accoutrements

Dad and Sergio put furniture together; Mom and I made curtains; the baby's room finally exists!

birthday lunch at Spin and birthday dessert at Glacé. And yes, I have two ice creams in my hand and no, one of them is not Sergio's. One is an affogato to share with Mom and Dad. If you've had Glacé's affogato you won't question this at all.

a gift from Mom and Dad; a pedicure - just what the 8-months-pregnant birthday lady needed

"... and your big fat belly!"

Sexy Stir Fry

2010-08-17T23:04:00.007-05:00

If you haven't been following Badseed on Facebook or enjoying the weekly email updates, then you have missed a lot of good food p0rn this summer. Each week, Farmer Brooke posts a runner-up and a grand prize winner in her "Sexy Veggie of the Week" contest. There have been some gorgeous vegetables all season long, and each week I can't wait to get the email to see who won.

the pin-up from Sexy Veggie of the Week - Grand Prize Winner , 8/6

Come Friday, when I make my way to Badseed (my 'happy hour' after a long work week - "next round of green beans are on me!"), I find that those sexy veg are as gorgeous in person and as delicious as promised. The week before last, the runner-up was the two-foot long Chinese red noodle bean and the grand prize winner was sweet potato greens. I bought both and decided to make what turned out to be a delicious stir fry.

my sweet potato greens and (appropriately) "Vegetables and the parts we eat" illustration

Chinese red noodle beans

I also grabbed a bunch of Thai basil (one of the runners-up from 3 weeks ago) for garnish. Except, it's really an integral part of the flavor, so garnish isn't quite the right word...

Thai Basil, Runner Up, 7/23

Try these three very sexy vegetables together in this very Sexy Stir Fry - you'll see what I mean.

Sexy Stir Fry

Serve with rice or noodles or - if you're a pregnant vegetarian looking for whole sources of non-soy protein - with quinoa! Serves 2 - 3.

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 small bell pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 T olive oil

1/2 pound Chinese red noodle beans, chopped into 2-inch pieces with stem end of bean removed

2-3 T honey (Les Miller's raw honey from Badseed)

2 T tamari (or other) soy sauce

6 oz Quorn (or some local chicken, available at Badseed, or local tofu - whatever protein you desire)

the leaves from one bunch of sweet potato greens, trimmed from the stem and rinsed

1/4 cup peanut sauce

bunch of Thai basil (don't leave this out - seriously!)

• Mince and chop the garlic, onion and pepper and saute in a small amount of olive oil, just until tender.

• Add the noodle beans to the onion and pepper; stir in the honey and tamari, and simmer - covered! - until noodle beans are tender and slightly wrinkled - about 10 minutes.

• Add the protein. If you're using Quorn, stir fry for about 5 minutes, then add the sweet potato greens on top. Cover and allow the greens to wilt for another 5 minutes.

• Stir in some of the peanut sauce and use a fork to break apart the sweet potato greens as they continue to cook, wilt, and reduce. Continue to cook until greens are fully wilted and Quorn is fully cooked, adding peanut sauce as needed.

• "Garnish" (or rather, complete the full flavor spectrum) with whole leaves of Thai basil, as many as you see fit.

Family Vacation in St. Louis

2010-08-15T23:47:00.000-05:00

This year's big Akins family vacation was just a hop, skip, and a jump away (for us) in our friendly neighbor to the east - St. Louis. We hit as many highlights as the 12 of us could in a week (including Trader Joe's where I first learned of this St. Louis specialty - pretzel bread!).

bump shot at the arch

Sergio, my aunt Jetta, and three of the four kiddos journeyed to the top of the arch in those tiny little washing machines. (The Claustrophobia kept me from enjoying a ride in one of those when I wasn't pregnant - I didn't think I'd enjoy one much now that I take up even more room.) The rest of us stayed below and watched the documentary about how it was built and bought nostalgic bits at the 'mercantile shop.'

We all had a blast at The Magic House, had more chaotic fun at The City Museum and enjoyed a great time on our hot little excursion to something called "The Awakening."

Hollis and the Beanstalk (The Magic House)

musical (literally) chairs (The Magic House)

clowning around (City Museum)

Reuben on the run (City Museum)

Ling and the man who is "Awakening" (artist: J. Seward Johnson)

Minli says "thumbs up!"

And the kids LOVED (sarcasm) the Cahokia Mounds in Illinois, the site of the most sophisticated prehistoric native civilization north of Mexico and an UNESCO World Heritage Site. In all seriousness, it was a pretty amazing place to see. And actually, (no sarcasm) there were some things the kids enjoyed; perhaps not the mounds themselves, but the learning center is pretty well equipped with lots of interesting, prehistoric things to see.

Papa atop Monks Mound - the largest of the Cahokia Mounds. Curiously, Monsanto is in the background on the left.

In addition to ancient things above ground, we saw some incredibly ancient things below ground, too, at Meramac Cavern. The Claustrophobia didn't get to me here, nor to my dad, I don't think. We all enjoyed our long but cold tour (and it was hard to complain about the tour being cold, given how hot it was the rest of the week).

Ling and Tyler inside Meramac Cavern

And when we weren't out and about, we were all happy to hang out, make duct tape wallets, read, eat, chat, fiddle with our iPhones and play Scrabble. Or Bananagrams. Or Jenga.

Sergio teaching the kids Scrabble

Or hang out and watch movies...

Some Summer Highlights

2010-08-06T23:30:00.001-05:00

Amid the summer's festivities and activities so far, there have also been some noteworthy vegetables (and dishes) - three of which I found particularly worthy of capturing "on film."

Earlier in the summer (but still too late to be spring), I bought peas from Bigg Blue Farm at Badseed Market. I had been hoping I'd find peas somewhere; after seeing so many farmers sell pea shoots all spring long, I figured there had to be a comparable number of peas to follow. But they are rare. There are sugar snap peas a-plenty, yes, but regular old shelling peas are few. So when I found the Bigg Blue peas, I snatched some up. I wish now that I'd bought every last pea he had.

recently shelled peas

I spent a very peaceful morning sitting in the sun on my church pew, shelling these peas - a little bit of zen. I had no idea how I'd cook them. I can't ever remember cooking fresh peas. I was considering mushy peas, one of my favorite bits of Britishness. But it seemed kind of a shame to boil and mush them, so tender and perfect as they were. I thought I might also blanch and freeze them for later - but that also seemed a shame. Ultimately, I decided to steam them with carrots for a plain and simple peas-n-carrots side dish for a "meat" and two veg. This turned out to be a perfect way to cook them while still allowing them their maximum pea-ness. Now I am just waiting for more peas in the fall; if I find any, I'm going to buy them all.

chioggas

Next up on the list of memorable veg were these beets. We got them in our CSA share, I think ... or maybe I bought them at Badseed. I can't remember; we had an assortment. At any rate, by the time I pulled them out of the fridge to cook them, I'd forgotten that they were Chioggas. Until I sliced them open and found their psychedelic swirls. They were like peppermint candies, except that we drizzled them in olive oil, sprinkled them with salt and pepper, and baked them in a hot oven (425, maybe?) for quite some time. They were better than peppermint candies. By far. And so stunning.

Thomas Hart Benton zucchini

On my last shift at CSA distribution, a friend was complaining about how she'd run out of things to do with all the summer squash we'd been getting. True, there had been an abundance of squash at each CSA pick up and at Badseed. But I hadn't quite exhausted my options yet - and besides that, I couldn't turn away the interesting shaped ones so I had my share of an abundance, as well.

So one night I made zucchini burgers (a la these eggplant burgers of 31 Veggie Burgers fame). Those almost-perfectly-round, ball-shaped squashes lent themselves well for this (one medium squash, two burgers), but you could use any of the zucchinis that have enough girth. I don't have a recipe for this dish, per se; all I can tell you is that I sautéed each relatively thick (1/4 inch or so) slice in a skillet until it was nice and brown, with thyme on one side and chipotle chili powder on the other side. (A good trick to remember: make some slices through the skin around the outer rim of each zucchini "patty" so the skin breaks easily when you bite into it.) Oh! And I added some cheese while the slices were still on the skillet. Any burger fixings are right with this - in our case I tossed in some meat-free deli slices for added protein. They were delicious burgers but all too short lived.

Good thing squash is still abounding this summer; I have a fridge-full of them and I'm ready for more.

A Month of Fun

2010-07-24T12:46:00.011-05:00

July whizzed by at an unprecedented rate, sped up, I think, by a whole string of parties and celebrations. Sergio's cousin's daughter's quinceañera was the start of it all, bringing family from all over to celebrate.

a top Liberty Memorial: Sergio, Christy, Emilio, cousin Ana from CA, cousin Ceci from TX, and Joyce from the DF

In between and after the quince activities we found time to see the sites, taste the ice cream, enjoy the Fourth of July, and watch a bit of futbol on the iPhone 4.

at Glacé, rooting for Ghana

Christy's birthday came next, on July 10, and since this was a big milestone birthday, we had a huge party on the back patio, complete with Chef Armando at the grill, cooking enough great food for a small army.

the birthday girl and the chef

great gifts galore

By then, Sergio's aunt and grandmother from Nashville had arrived, as had his uncle from Peoria and the other cousin from Texas and his wife. Oh, and my mom and dad came, too. No one wanted to miss the big celebrations - first Christy's birthday and then a fantastic baby shower for us, hosted by Christy and Joyce.

sweet

pool party

This baby shower was a pool party, up on the fourteenth floor of our apartment building, with lots of great games, swimming, and lovely views out the big windows - not to mention all the friends and family, too.

happy

OH! And one last thing I don't have pictures of ... our informal photo shoot. Lindsey and Beto who were in town (for a second time this summer!) for Christy's birthday and our shower, are photographers and they were generous enough to spend some time photographing me, Sergio, and the bump. All of those stellar photos can be found here. Check them out and see just how happy we were/are.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

2010-07-08T20:41:00.009-05:00

official birthday name plate

My dad turned 70 on June 26. So at the last minute, I decided to make a quick trip back to OKC to celebrate, and to see my brother and nephews, also in town for the time being. And I'm so glad I did.

Dad reading his list

For our gift for my dad, the whole family chipped it to create a book - "70 Things to Love about Winford/Dad/Papa." It was a great list - a great gift - and we had no trouble, whatsoever, compiling 70 distinct that we love about him. Our list was ample, and Dad was so surprised and delighted.

edging

One of the first things we put on the list was a lighthearted affirmation of Dad's "commitment to grass." This addition was inspired by the fact that he spent much of the afternoon on his 70th birthday edging and mowing the lawn. Which we thought was noteworthy.

After all, a man doesn't get awarded Bush Hills Yard of the Month (June 2007) just based on his easy sense of humor, his strong and steady nature, and his natural and genuine respect for all people. He has to work a little, too, you know. Even on his birthday.