Soy milk and cat food

It's one of those days where nothing seems to go right. My soy milk machine is broken. Mia can't handle dairy so to make life easier we all switched over to soy milk, or in our case soy/chickpea milk. Like most things we make our soy milk at home. This allows us to add the flavor and mix of beans that we prefer. But my soy milk maker is broken. Which puts me back to making it stove top until I send in to be fixed. The only real upside here is that the one and only time in my life I have sent in a warranty was for this machine.

But back to this morning. Knowing I only had enough soy milk left for one bottle I knew making it stove top was my first priority, but Kiki did not seem to want to let me get there. She was rough this morning and it took me the better part of 2 hours to figure out that the reason she was so up set was that she wanted to wear a diaper today (we are in the middle of no-pants potty training summer). But it didn't end there. She cried her little two-year-old butt off through the better part of the morning. I did all the checks- no new teeth that I could see, no fever, no tummy ache, she told me nothing hurt, she had breakfast, her milk, I tried a movie, reading a book, cuddle time, you name it. I got to the point where I thought maybe she was just acting up and had her stand in the corner which usually halts the crying. Not this time. This time she persevered.

Eventually I just gave up and after a while she did as well. Once Mia was down for her morning nap it was time to begin the process of making soy milk stove top. I have gotten so used to the convenience of having a machine I really was not as prepared as I used to be for the amount of time it actually takes, along with the amount of attention it needs. Luckily I have the book Asian Tofu by Andrea Nguyen. It has a comprehensive recipe for at-home soy milk making. I've used it many times usually when making tofu and before I got my lovely machine. Half way done though is whereI ran into trouble. I had strained my soy milk and was in the middle of re-cooking it when I went to check on Kiki. She had been playing outside for a few minutes and I was just curious was she was up to. I called to her, she looked back at me and took off. As I watched her running away I realized her diaper had failed.

There is a shrub in our yard probably about ten feet long and six or so feet high. She loves to play underneath it and has little toddler sized tunnels through the entire thing. Toddler-sized being the key here, for whenever I go to fetch her she runs full speed for that shrub, tries to get herself as deep inside it as she is able.  This morning was no exception. By the time I got to the opening of the shrub I realized something else. She was eating cat food. At this point I do my best to get myself into the shrub grab the poop covered child and get as much of the cat food out of her mouth and hands as I was able.When we get back inside and I give the soy milk a quick stir, grab the wipes to clean Kiki up and that's when Mia decides she is ready to wake up from her nap and would also really like mommy's attention.

The in-between then and now is about on par with the rest of my morning. Leaving me here with Kiki in the bath Mia on my lap and me wondering if I can shut all the blinds, call the girls lunch their dinner and convince both them and me that it is in fact bedtime and that once we all fall asleep we can wake up to a slightly less stressful morning.

Instead I have at least found my cup of coffee from this morning and have just realized that nap time is only about an hour away. So I've got kids to feed and hope for a more mellow afternoon.

Cucumbers, Miso and Buddha.

I'm feeling under the weather today. Which during a three kiddo week can be less difficult in some ways and more in others. Mia has discovered her feet. This means that no matter where she is or what she is near she kicks and kicks and kicks. Being only two this can make Kiki a little pissy, yelling 'Stop that Mia' or 'Don't do that!' as Mia kicks away her toys, food, or just her. Now to be fair Kiki should learn to move away but she just loves to be near Mia.

I was surprised with how involved Kiki has wanted to be with Mia since she was born. I was expecting a bit more resistance or at least annoyance at not being the only kiddo anymore. But I was completely wrong. Kiki loves her little sister so much! She loves to be there when Mia wakes up in the morning, tries to help with her diaper, and goes running to rub Mia's belly to try and make her feel better as soon as she starts crying. She really is a wonderful big sister. And the two of them together can be the sweetest pair.

At the same time though there are afternoons like these, it seems the less energy I have the less composure the kiddos have. Kiki woke up from her nap sobbing. I tried everything: Food, potty, cuddles, back rubs, story time. She would not be consoled. This led to Mia losing her cool as well. They tend to feed off one another.                            

But all that aside, it turns out our good friend is arriving tonight, giving me another excuse to make Lemon polenta cake. A task (along with a list of others) I need to get going on. Lastly I will leave you with a recipe that will use a fair amount of cucumbers if your garden seems to be producing more than you know what to do with!

Miso Cucumber salad

3 medium cucumbers
1 1/2 Tblsp miso paste
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbls fresh basil shredded
1 Tbls ginger minced
salt.

First off slice all the cucumbers as thin as you are able. Put all the slices into a bowl and salt them all well. mixing with your hands and rubbing the salt into all the slices. set aside and  let rest about a half an hour.
Mix miso paste with the lemon juice and ginger.
Once the cucumbers are done resting, squeeze out all the liquid you are able using your hands and gently wringing like a dish cloth. Also dump out any water remaining in the bowl.
Pour the miso dressing over the cucumbers, add a splash of olive oil, and the shredded basil. Mix well till all the cucumber slices are coated.

First bananas then even more blackberries

Over the weekend we picked about ten pounds of blackberries, ate our fill of tamales, lounged at the river, had a wonderful dinner with friends we have not seen in too long, and spent as much time as we could enjoying our family and what's quickly becoming the end of Oregon's summer.

 Neil's birthday was wonderful. We had all the kids home and had a big breakfast before heading out early to pick as many berries as we were able ( it was nice to have hands a little bigger then Kiki's to help!) Gwen did a wonderful job probably picking and eating equal amounts of berries. I am almost positive Kiki ate every single berry she picked, spending more time working her way around the thorns and running up and down the path then actually picking. And Neil out-did us all easily picking an equal amount to the rest of us combined! After heading home and once all the berries were washed, spread and stored in the fridge, we decided it was time to head to the rive.

Being early in the day still ( not yet noon)  Dodge park was less than full and we were able to get our favorite spot a bit of sand big enough to cover with a blanket surrounded by rocks. There is a huge rock shelf at this point in the river, giving the kids a mellow and shallow area to run around in. Even little Mia enjoyed walking around (with daddy's help). Kiki has gotten over her fear of the river and could not seem to keep up with herself. Her favorite activity was to sit on each and every different rock she could find. Kiki spends a lot of time sitting on different things in general. And if given the chance will insist that anyone and everyone near her also sit on or near where ever she is. I spent most of my time in the shallow water with the smaller girls chasing fish and pointing out the water bugs for Kiki to follow. Neil and Gwen ventured out to where the river was a bit deeper and the current a bit stronger trying to convince one another and themselves to plunge into the cool water. I've spent more than one afternoon watching my husband's head and shoulders bob in and out of the water as he floats down the river. Always with his Baja 500 hat, and often with a gin and tonic.

No one was quite ready to leave the river but after a few hours our tummies got the best of us. All the girls slept as we headed back to town. Tamales were a birthday treat for everyone, Neil even managed to win a free tamale by hitting the bulls eye on the dart board. By early afternoon we were tuckered out, full of tamales, and happy to be home. We never got around to making cake, but a batch of blackberry chocolate chip pancakes finished out our evening and we all went to bed a little messier and in Neil's case, one year older.

Sunday was spent at home, making lots of things out of blackberries and visiting with friends we had not seen in such a long time. For as hot as it was outside my kitchen was worse. I should know by now that August is not the time for baking or marathon cooking days, but with all those berries and the company of my husband I wanted to be no where else (plus I wanted to be able to see the inside of my fridge again.)

This morning we woke up to the work week, Neil headed out, I got the girls fed and comfortable and then got going on all those chores I ignored while we enjoyed our weekend. All that's really left to do now is add a couple recipes below and look forward to the end of the work day when my whole family is home and ready for dinner.

Blackberry jam with Rosemary

With all those blackberries taking up most of my fridge I decided to use a fair amount of them on a rather large batch of jam. Personally I don't like Jam quite as sweet, but if you disagree you might want to at least double the amount of sugar.

To start with:

6-7 cups blackberries
5 sprigs of rosemary
zest from 1 lemon
1 1/2 cup sugar

In a large-ish pot mash all of the blackberries, add in minced rosemary, the zest of one lemon and the sugar. Mix well and let come to a low boil over medium heat. Once it begins boiling do not stir the jam just let cook about 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and pour into pre-paired jars. The jam will thicken as it cools.

Its a nice quick recipe that is easily done while the girls nap.

Also my Absolute favorite cake recipe this summer my version of the lemon polenta cake. (I'm looking forward to some with the jam once its cooled)

Lemon Polenta cake

To start with:

3/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 1/4 cup corn meal
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup lemon juice

First whip the eggs with the sugar till a bit fluffy. Next slowly drizzle the oil into the egg mixture which should give you a nice creamy texture.

In a different bowl sift flour,cornmeal, and baking powder together. Combine well with egg mixture. Lastly add the lemon juice. Stir just enough to combine everything.

Grease a 10 inch cake pan and pour in batter. bake at 375 degrees for 45 or so minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool completely before removing from pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Its wonderful with berries in many different ways!

This week is bringing more friends and family here to visit and Next Sunday Kiki turns 2! And we are taking a small trip down to Independence!So the birthdays, cooking and time spent with people we love will continue in the following weeks.

Oh! And Baby Mia has started eating little bits of real food! She was somewhat confused with her first encounter with bananas, but papa was persistent and managed to get at least a bit or two to stay inside the baby.

Fridays and Blackberry cake

Fridays are the best days. Fridays are the end of Neil's work week (usually). Fridays are when Gwen gets home. Fridays are chocolate doughnut day. Fridays are stay up late and have a cocktail with my husband. And Fridays lead to Saturdays. And this Saturday is Neil's birthday.

We don't have a plan really. We decided a year or two ago that when it comes to holidays that involve presents that we prefer to just get things for the children and skip ourselves. That's not to say we don't celebrate or get one another things from time to time, just not specifically for the holiday. It makes everything a lot less stressful and allows more time for my favorite part of any celebration; family and food! And since tomorrow is Neil's birthday I hope we can do all the things he loves to do (and maybe go berry picking since I will have a few more hands to help)

But before we get to cake we should get back to doughnuts! The town we live in has a local doughnut shop and on Fridays and only Fridays they make devils food cake doughnuts. I try to take the girls walking as many mornings during the week as I am able, but we always seem to make it out on Fridays. Kiki recognizes the building long before we get there and starts getting antsy in her stroller, after a short but sometimes long wait in line and 85 cents we have our only on Fridays chocolate cake doughnut (Kiki gets slightly less than half.

Behind the Doughnut shop is a large wooden playground. Kiki loves the playground probably more then the doughnut. The whole trip usually takes the better part of the morning getting us home at the right time for lunch and an afternoon nap. Giving me a chance to catch up on the chores and hopefully bake a fun snack for the afternoon, recently with lots and lots of blackberries!

We have gone to pick berries a few times now. Kiki loves it. She comes running over to me shouting 'I HIKE' which really just means she wants to walk some where and not be in her stroller. So we do. We hike. Usually not to far and these past few times just over to the berry patch its an acre or two of nothing but blackberries and its perfect. With our first batch Kiki and I made a blackberry pie as a surprise for daddy, turned out a little less then alright. But with the rest we just added some sugar mashed them up and let them sit for a day or so and ended up making a blackberry cake.

Before I was pregnant I never liked cake. Every birthday I had since being a little girl I've always had pie. I would call cake too dry, or the frosting too sweet or just claim there was something wrong with cake in general. About half way through my first pregnancy though, all that changed, and I find myself trying out different cake recipes more often than not theses days. And my favorites right now are slightly heavier single layer cakes. There was a wonderful lemon polenta cake on Juls' kitchen that I have made more than a few times. But this time we made a blackberry dark chocolate cake which suited everyone just fine!

Blackberry cake

To start out we used:

2ish cups of flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup oil
1tsp baking powder
1tsp vanilla
1tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
2ish cups of berries that sat in sugar to let out their juices.
dark chocolate chips and some whole berries for making things look nice.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

First sift together flour, baking powder, and cinnamon and set off to the side (This is the bowl I usually let Kiki stir while I am getting together the other ingredients)
Whip together eggs and sugar. Once that has got a bit fluffy add the vanilla then slowly add the oil  till its all mixed well. Add to that the sifted flour and stir till combined ( it should be rather thick). lastly pour in the berries and all the juices and mix everything together.

Make sure your 10 inch cake pan is greased and pour in the batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for around 45 minutes. Remove and let cool before taking the cake from the mold.

We used melted chocolate, powdered sugar, and whole berries to decorate the top of ours!




Well this is good-bye for the weekend. Hopefully tomorrow will find us at the river for the afternoon with bellies full of tamales in celebration of my wonderful husband's 43rd birthday!

Pretty toes and black bean soup.

With my husband working late tonight, I find myself with a few extra hours that I am used to spending in his company. I am the kind of person who gets on a kick. What ever my focus is seems to be the only thing I have any interest in doing. During pregnancy all I wanted to do was bake. I made cookies, cakes breads, pies, pastries, anything I could think of (which was plenty). But all of a sudden this is my interest. Mia is sleeping, and Kiki is being somewhat autonomous which leaves me a few minutes to begin this next post

There is no one out there to read this yet, and really it is just a glorified journal for myself and my children but I'm excited to share. I want to talk about the chicken stock I made today, and how pretty Kiki's toes look now that they are painted shiny red (mine too for that matter at her request), or about the soup now on the stove waiting to be dinner when my husband arrives home.

I know its August but I love soup. All kinds of soups, especially those that start with a good rich broth. The kind that simmers for a day or two and fill my house with the smell of rosemary and garlic.

I'm making Black bean soup tonight. Simple enough but one of Kiki's favorite things to say theses days is 'Beans!' Anything to do with beans and she gets excited. I have a bowl of dried large Lima  beans and when I am cooking she likes to move the beans between two bowls and stir them with a big wooden spoon while shouting "I MAKE BEANS!". She is my best helper.

When it comes to cooking I have never been great at specific portions of ingredients. I tend to just wing it, but I suppose if my intention is to share the things we make I need to be able to give somewhat accurate directions.

A Simple black bean soup

I started with:

one tomato
4 cloves of garlic
most of a medium sized white onion ( I had used a bit for Kiki's lunch)
a bit more then a third of a jalapeno
a lime
a pinch of dried oregano
a spoonful-ish of black pepper
some salt (more then less I suppose, but that is because I don't ever salt my stock when I make it)
1-2 cups of cooked black beans
half a cup of rice
5 or so cups of any kind of stock
olive oil
tortilla chips are a nice addition as well
and cheese would not hurt I'm sure but my littlest one's system cannot handle dairy so I have to make do with nutritional yeast.

This should make about 4 regular sized servings and enough for a toddler as well

Start out heating the olive oil in a large-ish pot over medium heat. Give the onion and tomato a pretty rough dice and add to the heated oil. Turn down to medium low cover and let cook a few minutes. When things are looking a bit translucent throw in some chopped garlic and minced jalapeno, and  cilantro (but not all of it)

Now if your life is anything like mine make sure to wash all that jalapeno off your hands before picking up the stinky baby to do a quick diaper check, and then start to read 'hop on pop' to the toddler before she gets bored and (thankfully) skips half the book for you having more fun turning the pages then hearing the story.

Once everything has simmered together a bit (about the same time your done reading 'hop on pop') and the tomato has become pretty juicy, throw in the salt, pepper and a pinch of oregano. Add the beans and then the stock. Stirring well and cover the pot.

At this point you are pretty much set. let it cook on lowish for a while and maybe 20-30 minutes before you intend to eat the soup add the rice and re-cover the pot.

Slice some limes, and make sure you still have some fresh chopped cilantro and tortilla chips.

Add the rest to your liking when its time to eat and not a moment sooner.

In the mean time change the baby that is now in fact poopy and re-read 'hop on pop'.

Stop drinking the bath water.

Its bath time. Kiki is weeks shy of two, and has a thorn stuck in her foot. We waited for Mia ( five months old) to fall asleep before deciding a bath was the best way to deal with the thorn. Tweezers involve too much squirming and screaming.

I'm not really sure why I picked now to start this. Maybe its all the time I spend reading other blogs I love? Or the references made in silly movies I watch while cooking dinner? Mostly I feel like it would be nice to have a place to say more than 'Stop drinking the bath water' or 'Do you need to use your baby potty?' Or at least a place to record the things I find myself saying.

Its nice to imagine being one of those moms who post beautiful pictures of food and share perfect recipes or genius sewing patterns of cute and educational toys. Realistically though I'm not sure how useful sharing my recipes and less than perfect pictures will turn out to be but I do intend to try.

With these two in tow  I am going to give this blog a real shot. If nothing else it should prove to be a somewhat accurate record of what happened.