Saved by Cake

I really enjoy Marian Keyes' fiction and nonfiction.  I had high hopes for her recent book, Saved by Cake.  It was touted as being "an extremely honest account of Marian Keyes' recent battle with depression, and how baking has helped her."  

I thought that the book would be part memoir, part cookbook.  She pours her heart out in the first four pages and the rest is a cookbook of desserts that she made rather than commit suicide.  As she says, "To be perfectly blunt about it, my choice sometimes is: I can kill myself or I can make a dozen cupcakes.  Right so, I'll do the cupcakes and I can kill myself tomorrow." 

Since Saved by Cake is 98% cookbook, it wasn't quite what I was expecting.  The baking instructions are definitely written in her very conversational style, but I was hoping for more of her story.    

Some of the recipes are quite continental.  I'd never heard of many of them, such as Millionaire's Shortbread, Barmbrack, and Chocolate and Treacle Cookies.  I would like to try my hand at making the No-Bake (of course) Ginger and Lime Cheesecake and Mini Key Lime Pies.  Are you seeing a lime theme here? Perhaps this spring or summer I will attempt one of her lime creations.  

What makes me a good cook—that I can improvise, rarely measure, don't need recipes—is what makes me an inconsistent baker.  My kitchen attitude of close enough/more or less/easy substitutions translates into some baking disasters.  I have been known to ruin a cake made from a box where all I have to do is add water, vegetable oil and eggs.  

For My Heart's Desire's birthday last month, I made him a slightly modified version of Paula Deen's Pink Lemonade Cake and had poured it into the pans when I realized I had forgotten to include the eggs.  I poured the batter back into the bowl and added the eggs and baked the cakes, which turned out fine.  Then when I followed Paula's frosting instructions exactly: beat together confectioners' sugar and butter until fluffy, I put both the ingredients into the mixer at the same time and ended up with some very buttery sugar.  A quick online search showed me that frosting occurs when a the sugar is added to whipped butter in small amounts.  So My Heart's Desire's birthday cake had only half of the frosting that the recipe called for since I ran out of powdered sugar.  I didn't miss it and neither did he.  But I did have a backup dessert on hand just in case the Pink Lemonade Cake had been a flop.

Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken and Mushrooms

This recipe is so good I didn't have time to take a picture of it before dinner.  A friend gave me the original recipe and I modified it slightly. The very best thing about this meal is the taste.  The second best thing is that it can cook fast if you are in a hurry, like I was recently.  I forgot to put it in the crock until 4:45 and we had dinner at 7:00.  And it was good. 

Ingredients:

Crushed garlic

Diced onions (of course I use frozen)

1 container pesto (I used Classico because it was on sale)

1/3 c chicken broth

1 box fresh, sliced mushrooms (I prefer the sliced baby bella, but any mushroom works)

4-6 chicken pieces, boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs or a combination of breasts and thighs

Put all ingredients in slow cooker and mix well.  Cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high for 2-3. I always use the probe that came with the slow cooker to make sure it's cooked to the proper temperature.  Then serve over pasta.  I put it over angel hair (what we bought at Costco) and sprinkled a little Parmesan on top.  

All of the flavors really come together nicely in the slow cooker.  It's really, really easy.  If you can open jars and make pasta, this dish is a delight for the taste buds.   It's one of My Heart's Desire's favorites.  He thinks it tastes even better the second day.  

Today I am grateful for lunch with my honorary Grandma, pictures and videos of my adorable nieces, Babyface's moo (answer to the question: What does a cow say?), high speed Internet, health insurance, a dinner I did not make, gas in my car, a spare pair of sunglasses since a rainy day became a super bright day, clean clothes, the laundry line is back in action, fresh air, cherry blossoms, forsythia, daffodils, allergy medicine, having a flexible plan, grapefruit water, library books, and learning to let go.

February and March Books

I was a busy reader in February and March.  I went on two trips and had lots of time to read on planes. I am the kind of person that always has my nose in a book or a Kindle nearby.

Go to the Bookstore

The Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley had me hooked from the first chapter.  A moral dilemma, a bereaved husband, a baby, and a complicated family history made for a compelling read.  I had a knee-jerk reaction to the sympathetic portrayal of a career anti-choice lawyer.  The book made me curious about the author's politics though I couldn't find a definitive answer online. It reminded me in a way of Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper.  I should mention that was the only Picoult book I really liked.  

Marian Keyes is one of my favorite contemporary authors and I am very fond her Walsh sisters books, Rachel's Holiday being my favorite.  So I got a big kick out of Mammy Walsh's A-Z of the Walsh Family short.  And it is quite short, a mere 66 pages. If you are already a big Keyes fan and are up to date with the Walsh family, then it's worth the $2.99. It also includes the long definition of a Feathery Stroker. 

Visit the Library

If you didn't know, now you do: I love The Hunger Games.  I inhaled the series and have read each of the three books more than once.  So when I saw The Girl Who Was on Fire: Your Favorite Authors on Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games Trilogy by Leah Wilson, et al. was available from the library, I couldn't resist.  It's like listening in on your favorite writing professors talking about The Hunger Games and what everything means. I didn't love every essay but enjoyed the collection as a whole.

The History of Us by Leah Stewart starts with a family tragedy and a woman uprooting her life to care for her sister's young children.  Instead of showing us how the family heals, the book starts when the children are grown and life-changing decisions still have to be made. 

Wish you knew what happened to Harvard grads way after the fact?  The Red Book by Deborah Copaken Kogan explores the lives of a group of friends 20 years after graduation.  It has what you'd expect: career and relationship drama, disappointments, and nothing else.  I was hoping for more. 

Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson definitely had some hilarious parts.  But I felt like she pulled her punches when it came to the real, emotional stories.  

Why, oh why, did I read these five books by Lani Diane Rich?  Because they were inexpensive Kindle books, just fluffy enough, and perfect for reading with my seatback and tray table reclined.  At two for $5, they fit into my tight budget.  The titles were Time Off For Good Behavior, Ex And The Single Girl, Maybe Baby, The Comeback Kiss and A Little Ray Of Sunshine.

Jill Smolinsk's Objects of My Affection is a beach book about a professional organizer with a teenaged son in rehab tasked with organizing a nutty, formerly famous, reclusive artist/hoarder.  Considering some of the serious topics in the book (bankruptcy, rehab, heartbreak) I thought it would go deeper than it did. 

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker was yet another coming of age tale set in a precarious future where the Earth no longer spins as it once did.  The slowing affects everything and everyone.  I'm usually not a big fan of sci-fi fantasy, and this book was okay but not great.  The reason it's on this list and not the one below is because it has good writing. 

All that being said, I did enjoy Dog Stars by Peter Heller.  The novel is about Hig, a man living in an airplane hangar after a flu pandemic has destroyed life as we know it.  How Hig survives and what he lives with kept me turning the pages. 

While I was reading We the Animals by Justin Torres I made a bet with myself that he was a writer from the Iowa Writer's Workshop.  I won that bet.  Beautiful writing about a childhood with brothers (the animals), poverty, violence, young parents working blue-collar jobs around the clock, and so much more.

Have a V8

I picked up  Philippa Gregory's The Kingmaker's Daughter because I liked The Bolyen Sisters so much.  This historical novel is a long, bloody, long, tale of family relationships, and political games.  Did I mention it was long? 

I wanted to like The Pretty One by Lucinda Rosenfeld a lot more than I did.  Three sisters, family drama, etc., but I couldn't really connect with it.  I liked her other book, I'm So Happy for You, that I also read on a plane, which is why I borrowed this one.

I am so glad that I borrowed 150 Pounds by Kate Rockland from the library.  If I had paid even one penny for it, that would have been too much.  Two stereotypical bloggers,  one overweight, one severely underweight, go through changes where—spoiler alert!—at the end they both end up weighing 150lbs. 

It's more than a little embarrassing to admit I read The ex-Mrs. Hedgefund by Jill Kargman.  I did and found myself not liking it but not being able to walk away from it.  I guess I was hoping it would have some redeeming quality.  I'm still waiting. 

For some reason, I thought Amanda Coplin's The Orchardist was called The Orchidist. I can report not one orchid appears in this novel.  It's lengthy and even though there is a fair amount of action, it was hard to feel strongly about any of it.   

MWF Seeking BFF by Rachel Bertsche would have made an enjoyable magazine article.  However, a juvenile writing style and too much filler (including a Webster's dictionary definition of a friend) made this book a dud. 

I borrowed Reinventing Claire by Darian Wilk from the Kindle library, then realized that it was a romance novel, which is not my cup of tea.  

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes is the book version of what I imagine a British Lifetime movie would be like. 

I Love March Madness

Finally, after lo these many years, I'm enthusiastic about March Madness!  You read right, this not-really-a-sports-fan is super excited about March Madness!

Recently, I was greeted at the library by this giant March Madness Book Bracket poster.  I love it!  My favorites in this series were Gone Girl, Life of Pi, and, of course, The Hunger Games.  I read The Poisonwood Bible three times: once for pleasure and abandoned it pretty early on since I didn't find it enjoyable, second for a graduate class where I slogged through every page, and the third time was for a different graduate class, where I fell in love with it.

Babyface and I are regulars at a couple of local libraries, where we pick up novels and books on CD for me, toddler-friendly books for him, listen to about five minutes of story time, play with the library's toys, and eat raisins.  I can't wait to see what books win this March Madness!

Mixed Green Salad with Grapefruit, Pecans, and Feta

I made this salad with things I had on hand and was happily surprised at how well it turned out.  I mixed greens, sliced grape tomatoes, feta, grapefruit chunks (thanks, fruit of the month club), pecans, and balsamic vinaigrette (I like Trader Joe's). I mix the whole thing in a colander so that the dressing is distributed evenly. I have a feeling this salad is going to be popular on my spring and summer table.

Today I am grateful for Pandora, prayer, laughing, sunshine, playing with Babyface in the park, library Kindle books, photos and videos of my faraway, gorgeous niece, having backup dinners, and tomorrow is a new day.

Pumpkin Spice Waffles

A few weekends ago I made waffles for breakfast and Babyface immediately started saying wobbles, wobbles.  My usual Bisquick pancakes with pecans are tasty but I knew I could make waffles healthier for Babyface.  Since I already knew he was crazy about them, I decided to make a big batch so I could freeze them.  It's less trouble to make more waffles than it is to do the whole operation again.

Ingredients:

2 cups Arrowhead Mills multigrain pancake and waffle mix

2 eggs, beaten
2 T veggie oil
1.5c whole milk
1/2 can pumpkin
1/4t pumpkin pie spice (or more, that was all I had)
1/2 c + old fashioned oats

First, take out the George Foreman grill, put the waffle plates on and heat up grill to high.

Mix first four ingredients briefly.  Add pumpkin, spice, and oats to batter.  If the batter seems too runny, add more oatmeal. I freeze the rest of the pumpkin in an ice cube tray to use in Peanut Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal. 

Spray plates with cooking spray, then pour in 1/2c of batter for each waffle and cook for 4-7 minutes. Be sure to spray the plates each time so the waffles don't stick (I ruined some the first time I used the George Foreman to make waffles).  This recipe made around 16 waffles.  I froze most of them in two big freezer bags.  To reheat, I just pop them in the toaster. 

February Update and March Goal

My February goal brought my commitment to daily prayer front and center to me this month.  I was able to pray 24 out of 28 days. I walked by the calendar several times a day and I noticed if the day was missing an X.  Prayer helped remind me that I am not in charge. It also helped me to feel connected.

My March goal is simple but not easy: to revise and update an essay I've been working on and to submit it for publication.  Since we're almost halfway through the month I've got to get moving on this.

Today I am grateful for church music (I was so moved this morning), sunshine, daffodils starting to rise, a gift card, that Babyface loves vegetables (especially lima beans!), a good chat with my brother, semi-homemade pizza for dinner, 30 Rock (just started watching it on Netflix), library books, and buying __________ for My Heart's Desire's birthday surprise.

Today I woke up to a quiet house since Babyface and My Heart's Desire went to visit his family (I am sick and keeping my germs to myself), had a nice chat with my BFF, watched way too much TV while I laid on the couch and drank orange bubbly, changed the sheets (just like every Friday), finished at least one box of Kleenex, thought I heard the baby crying while I was in the shower, started reading The Twelve Tribes of Hattie, and missed my guys like crazy.

Today I got up early with Babyface, worked out on the treadmill, took Babyface to our hippie parenting class, bundled him up like the kid in A Christmas Story so he could play outside in the cold and rain (those hippies mean it when they say the kids play outside regardless of weather), realized I forgot my umbrella so I got soaked, started listening to Little House on the Prairie in the car, came home and did some Saturday chores, wished for spring, started to go through files then laid down instead, played with Babyface and did his whole evening routine, watched Netflix with My Heart's Desire, had bean and corn enchiladas for dinner, got a great deal on a subscription to a gossip magazine (my guilty pleasure), and read library books.

Today I am grateful for Babyface sleeping in, technology, a giftcard to Target, that the person who pushed a cart down the escalator was not me, pictures, family, a mild winter, laughs in unexpected places, and pumpkin soup for dinner.

Today I am grateful for perspective, my family, yummy meals I had nothing to do with making, Netflix, that it's been so many years since I quit smoking, and getting a $60 pair of pajamas on sale for $8.

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup

This slow cooker pumpkin soup is so easy and really delicious.  It's even a two-step slow cooker recipe, which I don't usually do.

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:

Crushed garlic

Diced onions (of course I use frozen)

1t salt

1t nutmeg

1/2t of pepper

1 big or 2 small cans of pumpkin

1Q chicken broth

1 c water

1/2 cup of half and half

3/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

In a large pan, saute the garlic and onions in a little olive oil until fragrant.  Add the pumpkin, spices, chicken broth, and water.  Bring to a boil.  After it boils, transfer to the slow cooker.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4.  Five minutes before serving, stir in the half and half and Parmesan cheese.  It's great with a grilled cheese or as an appetizer if you are feeling fancy.  My Heart's Desire likes it, I love it.

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup with Grilled Cheese

January Update and February Goal

January came and went, with plenty of X's marking the calendar for my workouts.  I worked out 27 times in 31 days. One day I was too sick (hence the S) and the other three days I just didn't.  So I didn't meet my January goal perfectly but I certainly was consistent!   I noticed that I felt better physically and slept better.  There is satisfaction in seeing those rows of X's and marking off every one.  I also noticed the pattern, that Saturdays and Sundays are the hardest days for me to lace up my new sneakers.  It motivated me to make it easier for myself on those days by having my workout clothes ready to go and a trashy magazine to read as a reward.  

My goal for February is going to continue with the don't break the chain technique.  What I'm focusing on is prayer.  I mean to pray, I like to pray, I know prayer is important, but that doesn't always translate into me actually praying.  My February goal is to pray every day.  It can be informal, I just need to do it. 

Babyface's Kitchen

Mrs. Claus brought this terrific play kitchen for Babyface for Christmas.  And when I say Mrs. Claus, in this case I mean my wonderful former coworker Charlotte.  She found this on the curb on the way to the grocery store one fall weekend and picked it up and delivered it to me.

The kitchen needed a little TLC, was missing some hinges and the microwave had to be re-connected to the freezer, which required a trip to the hardware store for My Heart's Desire.  Then I cleaned it top to bottom.

I also saved empty food containers so that Babyface would have some play foodstuffs to put on the shelves.  The yellow Tupperware container and small pan on the stove are toys from My Heart's Desire's childhood.  Babyface loves to open and close the doors and take the sink out and put it back.

Crustless Asparagus Goat Cheese Quiche

This crustless Asparagus Goat Cheese Quiche is a great healthy breakfast or brunch.  It's also great to bake on Monday and eat all week.

Ingredients:
3 cups of Egg Beaters
1/2 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup of reduced fat mozzarella
1 bag of asparagus
4 oz crumbled goat cheese
Chopped onion
Salt and pepper

Steam a bag of asparagus, drain, and chop.  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir.  Pour into a greased casserole pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the mixture isn't wobbly anymore.

I've also made this as individual quiches and they turned out great.  Just spray a muffin tin generously with cooking spray (do not use liners) and fill about halfway full.  Let cool on a baking rack.  They freeze well.

January Books

I heard good things about Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures by Emma Straub and it started off really interesting but ended up being unsatisfying.  There was a lot of hype around that book so maybe my expectations were too high.  I also didn't care for Will Schwalbe's The End of Your Life Book Club.  I liked some of Julianna Baggott's other books so when I saw Pure at the library I picked it up.  It felt like YA but wasn't.  The sci-fi/fantasy genre isn't my favorite but I kept reading, waiting for it to get good.  Spoiler: It didn't. I read Deborah Reed's Carry Yourself Back to Me, one of Amazon Editor's Best Book of 2011 picks, and found it hard to care deeply about the characters, all of whom got wrapped up in a pretty bow by the end of the book.

In Melanie Thorne's Hand Me Down, fourteen-year-old Elizabeth's stepdad gets out of prison for sexual assault and he can't live in the same house as underage girls. Elizabeth's mom chooses him over her daughters. Elizabeth's story of poverty, heartbreak, alcoholism, abuse, and what it means to be a family kept me turning the pages.  However, I found Elizabeth's speaking voice was too adult.  Worth reading from the library.  I also liked Charlotte Rogan's The Lifeboat, about a 22-year old newlywed woman on her way home to Boston with her wealthy new husband, when their ship wrecks in the middle of the ocean and she finds herself in a lifeboat with 39 other people.

I got a kick out of Dan Barden's The Next Right Thing, a book that shows a disgraced former police officer trying to solve the mystery of what happened surrounding his longtime sober AA sponsor's overdose and death.  Peaches for Father Francis, by Chocolat author Joanne Harris, was good but not great.  Beautiful writing kept me reading more.  I'd probably sigh over her grocery list.

Beth Harbison's When in Doubt Add Butter was too fluffy for me. Just fluffy enough was Lani Diane Rich's The Fortune Quilt.  Come on, a quilt-making psychic, a hippie town in Arizona, and the return of a long-lost mom that I read for free thanks to Amazon Prime?  Of course I liked it. Jillian Medoff's I Couldn't Love You More is about a working mom in a blended family who has no idea what's in store for her.  All of the characters are relatable and it build to climax that almost had me skipping to the end.  If you've got a flight in your future, pick up this book.

I was sick and Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy was available for the Kindle from my library so I finally read it.  I had mixed feelings about it.  It's a fast read and I wanted to know what was going to happen next so I kept reading.  I'm not fond of books (or TV shows or movies) that use violence against women, and in this case the torture, rape, and murder of girls and women, for entertainment.  On the one hand, I'm glad that it is becoming part of the conversation that this violence exists, but at the same time I can't tolerate it as entertainment.  I do know I'm a few years behind this controversy. That's also why I hadn't read it before, despite raves from friends.

I finished Heaven on Earth, by Sharifa Oppenheimer, a book that was recommended by my hippie parenting class teacher.  It's aimed at slightly older preschool kids but I really liked the suggestions about rhythm and family festivals.

January Goal

What I do every day makes a bigger difference than what I just do sometimes.

For January, my goal is to workout every day.  I've been trying this off and on since late fall, with mixed results.  I decided to use the don't break the chain technique.  Armed with a free calendar from the hardware store and a new, black Sharpie, I have been marking off the days.  The X's mark off walks/jogs, weight lifting, swims, Yoga, and miles on the treadmill. 

It's also changed the question from, "Am I going to work out today?" to "What workout am I going to do today?"  That works well for me because I can very easily talk myself out of a workout.

I do best when I can workout in the morning but that isn't always possible.  I marked one day with a big S when I was really too sick to work out.  The following day I did Yoga at home with a box of tissues and cup of apple cinnamon tea.  

2013: A Year of Change

I haven't forgotten about the not-so-young New Year. I've been mulling over what I want to do.

In 2009, I set 9 commandments.

In 2010, I set 10 annual goals.

In 2012, I set quarterly goals.

What I do know for sure is that 2013 is going to be a year of change.  I'm a person that does well with a schedule and a routine.  I find great value to having a rhythm and routine for days, weeks, months, and seasons.  I'm a planner, that much is true.  I like knowing what is coming up and preparing for it.  I'm no stranger to lists, spreadsheets, checklists, and timelines in my personal and professional lives. I've been told I run a tight ship.

What am I having for dinner next Monday?  Funny you should ask, it's pasta bake (already made and in the deep freeze) with green salad.  What do I keep in the diaper bag?  Let me just glance at the checklist.  What do I need to throw a  baby shower?  I've got a spreadsheet with all the details and a playlist ready to go.  How long does it take to get a proof from the printer?  Usually less than 24 hours but I budget two days for it.

Being a planner can lead me to be a bit on the rigid side. However, I've become a lot more flexible since I became a parent. I am very far from being a go-with-the-flow, laissez-faire type of person, but I'm learning to be more adaptable.  It's better to bend than break.

For 2013, I'm setting monthly goals. The January post will be up shortly.

Wish me luck!  And tell me what your goals are in the comments below.

Today I am grateful for hot tea and lots of it, a delicious asparagus and goat cheese omelet, being able to FaceTime with my sister and niece,  hot showers (I'd have been a terrible pioneer woman), Babyface's long nap, friends near and far, videos that make me laugh, and spell check.

Rice Cooker Oatmeal

We eat a lot of oatmeal around here.  I like my oatmeal made with old fashioned oats, water and 1% milk (two parts water, one part milk) and a big spoonful of chunky peanut butter.  I've already shared how I make Babyface's Favorite Breakfast but when it comes to making breakfast for myself, I must admit my stove is no stranger to a boiled over mess.  I probably do that at least once a week...

I was mulling over how to make my breakfast (without boiling it over) and keep it hot until I am ready to eat it.  And so, I put everything into the rice cooker, pushed the button down, and voila!

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup oats
1 spoonful of peanut butter

The only difference between oatmeal made in the rice cooker or the stove is the peanut butter.  On the stove, the PB melts into the water/milk and every bite has pretty much the same amount of peanut butter.  In the rice cooker, the peanut butter stays on the bottom, giving some bites more PB than others.  It's delicious either way.

I've also made Babyface's oatmeal in the rice cooker and it turned out well.  All I can say is that my kitchen appliances are working for me!

Today I am grateful for getting lots of sleep on cozy flannel sheets, feeling sore from yesterday's workout, Kindle books I borrow from the library, Pandora, hand-me-downs, not having to drive anywhere today, resisting online bargains, playing outside with Babyface (the dirtier he gets, the more fun he has), taking The 21-Day Happiness Challenge with My Heart's Desire, and feeling joyful for the New Year.

A Promise

New workout shoes are a promise that I make to myself.
I promise to take care of myself and to wear these shoes out with walks, jogs, and even some running.
I promise to lace these up regularly and move, even when I don't want to.
I promise to log cold, windy miles and hot, sweaty miles too.
I promise to remember I can make healthy choices every day.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

When it's cold outside, there's nothing better than soup to warm up from the inside.  And slow cookers are perfect for this.  I first made this soup in the fall and loved it.  My Heart's Desire liked it too.  This recipe makes a really big batch, so we had some for lunches and froze the rest.  I got the original recipe from the Crockin' Girls and changed it to fit my taste. It's a little spicy but you could easily make it more or less so by adjusting the chili powder. Adding a can of green chilis would make it spicier too.  It's also easy to make without meat, just lose the chicken, triple the beans (maybe a mixture of black and kidney) and use veggie broth.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 T minced garlic
1 c diced onions (I use the frozen kind)
28 oz diced tomatoes
15.5 oz black beans, drained
10 oz enchilada sauce
1.5 c frozen corn
1 Q chicken broth
1 c water
1 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 t lime juice

Toppings:
chopped avocado
shredded cheese
sour cream
crushed tortilla chips

Put everything into the slow cooker and mix well.  Cook for 3-4 hours on low.  Take out the chicken and shred it.  Add the shredded chicken back into the crock.  Cook for 3-4 more hours on low or 1.5-2 hours on high.

Ladle into bowls and top with cheese, sour cream, avocado, and some crushed tortilla chips. It's very quickly become one of my favorites.

When I know my morning's going to busy, I put all of the ingredients except the chicken into a very large (5 Q) container the night before.  Then in the morning, all I have to do is pour it into the slow cooker, add the chicken, and go.

Today I am grateful for using the last swim on my 12-swim pass at the county pool, the fleece-lined sweatshirt I got from Santa that keeps me cozy, friends and family that share their skills with me, getting Little House in the Big Woods on CD from the library (I think  reading about Gretchen Rubin's love of children's literature at The Happiness Project put the bee in my bonnet), pancakes for dinner, Netflix, and the look on Babyface's face when he plays with bubbles in the bath.

Heft

Liz Moore's Heft is the kind of novel that intrigues and draws the reader in.  The characters include a former professor turned 550lb shut in, a high school athlete from the wrong side of the tracks at a wealthy school, and his alcoholic mother.  This book was recommended to me by my loyal blog reader Linda and once I got my hands on it I couldn't put it down. 

Today I am grateful for book recommendations that turn out to be really great books, homemade mac and cheese with lots of broccoli, new running shoes, creating a routine, Babyface's big hugs, clean water, and new opportunities.

2012 Greatest Hits

Oh, Baby!
My Heart's Desire and I are both head over heels when it comes to Babyface.  2012 was a year of a firsts for Babyface, from teeth to eating solids to talking to rolling over, crawling, and walking. He's grown from a baby into a toddler.  As our pediatrician said, "What a difference a year makes!" Every day he looks slightly less like a baby and slightly more like a little boy. I continued taking parenting classes and still belong to parenting groups. 

Books
I read many, many good and great books this year.  I even found the worst book I ever read.  The best nonfiction book was Cheryl Strayed's Wild. The best fiction books were The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and Carol Rifka Brunt's Tell the Wolves I'm Home. I mostly read on my Kindle, though I regularly get paper books from the library and borrow books from friends.

Family Tradition
I can not stop having Babyface's picture taken.  Almost every month, I have taken him to the department store and had his portrait taken.  I signed up for the portrait studio emails and get the monthly special emailed to me.  Whatever the deal of the month is usually works for me.  It's true that he doesn't look that different month to month, but when I compare a spring to a winter picture, it's like a whole different baby.  We also had professional photographs taken of our family despite many grumbles from My Heart's Desire.  I love to see really good pictures of our family.

It's All Relative
This was a banner year for relatives.  In 2012, everyone in My Heart's Desire and my immediate families got to cuddle with Babyface.  In addition, we traveled to California and Florida for extended family extravaganzas.  It was great to see Babyface with so many relatives.  Suffice it to say that his feet did not touch the floor.

Thrift
I'm one thrifty mama.  Luckily I have friends with sons that hand down clothes and toys to Babyface.  I also have friends with sons younger than Babyface and am happy to pass clothes on.  I love being in the middle of the hand me down chain! 

(Kitchen) Game Changer
Last Christmas I got a slow cooker as a gift. A year later, I'm a slow cooking evangelist. I l-o-v-e that appliance. I can assemble everything in the morning, toss it in the crock, and come home to a hot, delicious dinner. My favorite meal is slow cooker chicken fajitas, but my slow cooker homestyle roast chicken is the most popular. The prep for these recipes takes less time than making a cup of tea. Tomorrow I'm going to slow cook chicken tortilla soup, recipe coming soon.

 

Breakfast
The Hurricane Omelet that my dad makes. Also known as shakshouka, it's eggs poached in a yummy tomato, onion, garlic and bell peppers with cumin and cinnamon.  I was lucky to have it several times this year.  I just happen to have all of the ingredients whenever my dad visits.

2012 Goals: December Update

Writing
1) I met with my writer's group on 12/29, sneaking in under the deadline of meeting this quarter.  The other members of my writer's group are so inspiring, I'm so happy that we met.  One of the members wrote a novel in November as part of National Novel Writing Month and we had lots to discuss.

Healthy
2) Tracking, tracking, tracking food and workouts. This was probably the most challenging goal.  Some weeks I did great (even tracked for more than three weeks straight without missing a day) but then there were some weeks when I only tracked a couple of days.  Though I did not meet my goal, I ended up tracking more this quarter than any time since 2002. So I'll take it.  

Romance
3) Going on a date once a month sounds like an easy goal.  In September My Heart's Desire and I went to a fun wedding, in October we did not make it out, in November we went to the movies on two separate occasions (once we had a babysitter and once my dad and stepmom shooed us out of the house so they could adore Babyface), and we have plans to sneak out to a movie tomorrow. 

Community Service
4) I wasn't sure how our family was going to be of service this quarter.  After Hurricane Sandy hit, I knew.  Local organizations connected with Occupy Sandy asked for donations.  My Heart's Desire and I went through our house and filled bags with personal care items, first aid supplies, baby diapers and wipes. 

Parenting
5) I bought several books that our parenting class teacher recommended and they had just been sitting on the shelf.  I met my goal by reading two of them.  I read The Tao of Motherhood by Vimala McClure and Simplicity Parenting Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids by Kim John Payne and Lisa Ross.

Tell the Wolves I'm Home

Several moons ago I signed up on the library waiting list for Carol Rifka Brunt's Tell the Wolves I'm Home.  Once I got my hands on it, I devoured this book in less than a weekend. This book tells a riveting story, and the reader is drawn in by the emotions and experiences of the main character.  The less you know about the story, the better.  Just pick it up and read.  You'll wish your flight was longer.

Today I am grateful for family and friends near and far, sunshine, having things to look forward to, that my holiday shopping is done, hot chocolate, quiet, my mentors, a super warm and cozy wrap, Babyface's developing sense of humor, free Kindle books from the library, flexibility, The Gray Lady online, and being able to see the silver lining.

Today I am grateful for hearing Babyface's babble, FaceTime, holiday music, being able to help others, laughing, good friends, an old car that gets me where I need to go, embracing my inner cheeseball, holiday fun to look forward to, and restaurants with a sense of humor.

 

The Tao of Motherhood

At the recommendation of my hippie parenting class teacher, I picked up a copy of The Tao of Motherhood by Vimala McClure.  Reading it reminds me what it takes to be a good mother in a beautiful way.  All I have to do is pay attention to Babyface, do what I think is right, and keep it simple.  This book can be read in one sitting, in small bites, and over and over again.  Every time I read it I have a new favorite passage.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

The first chapter of Robin Sloan's Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore is so intriguing I splurged and bought a copy for my Kindle.  I loved the premise.  Of course I did, a 24-hour bookstore is one of my dreams. While it was interesting at first, the excitement waned and I found myself correctly predicting the end (something I can rarely do) but the foreshadowing was pretty heavy handed. My high hopes for this book were dashed around the midpoint.

Thanksgiving

Today I am grateful for the many gifts in my life.  A holiday spent with My Heart's Desire, Babyface, my dad and stepmom is a wonderful day indeed.  And pie.

Today I am grateful for wonderful friends.

Simplicity Parenting

One of the books recommended in my hippie parenting class is Simplicity Parenting Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids by Kim John Payne and Lisa Ross.  While it's geared more to parents of older kids than toddlers, it had great lessons about keeping it simple and not overwhelming children. 

 

It is true that I am known as a toy Grinch and don't want a house cluttered with toys.  We went to a birthday party for one of Babyface's friends and I was shocked to see that the family had more toys than our daycare.  More isn't better. According to this book, more can be too much.  Which validated my choice to have a dozen or so age-appropriate toys out for Babyface to play with and swap them out from time to time with others.  He's perfectly happy and so am I.  Also, the book and I are in firm agreement about having passive rather than active toys. 

 

The most important message I got from the book was really simple: just pay attention to your child and believe what he is telling you.  Instead of trudging forward no matter what, parents are encouraged to watch for signs and then adjust accordingly.  Sometimes Babyface will make tired face or even lie down on the floor when it's not his usual sleep time, and instead of saying, "He can't be tired now," I think, "Oh, he must be tired" even when I don't understand why. My hippie parenting class always includes observation and I've been amazed and what I can learn just by watching Babyface. 

 

I also liked that this book had suggestions of different things to try, some easy, some more complicated, and the tone was of gentle inspiration and encouragement. I've been mulling over some things that I can do to make our home routines simple.

Today I am grateful for my sincere love of bargains, including the new-to-me Bread machine that I bought at my church's everything you can carry for $20 sale, having great colleagues, the ability to text photos of Babyface to grandparents who live far away, clean water, low-TV week (though I finished my 864 page book faster than I thought, so I'm off to the library tomorrow), fires that My Heart's Desire makes, and being a planner.

Today I got up after sunrise, gave Babyface his favorite breakfast, cleaned out my closet so that now everything in it fits and is the right season, found a pair of black work pants I forgot I had, created a big giveaway bag and a consignment bag, ate pizza with My Heart's Desire that he was taste testing, stunk up the house by making a fried egg for Babyface in rancid butter, took Babyface for a walk (to the store for more eggs) and saw deer, slow cooked homemade chicken stock, went on a movie date with My Heart's Desire, came home and had dinner, watched a few episodes of Weeds, finished reading The Hypnotist's Love Story, then went to bed.

Today I got up bright and early with Babyface, bundled him up and took him for a stroll, was happily surprised to see a lot of leaves still on trees, shopped at Whole Foods for five things and ended up spending double what I expected, read while Babyface napped, went to our last hippie parenting class of the term, hung out at home with Babyface, gave him a delicious dinner of veggies and lentils (I just learned how to make these in the rice cooker, a breeze), then a bath, cuddles in his fleece snowman pajamas, then his bedtime routine,  My Heart's Desire made the first fire of the fall, we watched The Mindy Project, ate chilaquiles with scrambled eggs for dinner, and lounged by the fire.

Babyface's Favorite Breakfast

Babyface is a hungry, hungry hippo in the morning.  Breakfast is always his biggest meal of the day.  Peanut butter pumpkin oatmeal is a great, warm breakfast that sneaks in a serving of veggies and sticks to his ribs.  The recipe below makes a big enough batch that he can eat it for several breakfasts.

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal

Ingredients:

1 cup of old fashioned oats

1/3-1/2 can of canned pumpkin (plain, not pie pumpkin)

2 c milk

2-3 big spoonfulls of peanut butter

Put milk, pumpkin, and peanut butter in pot and heat on high. When the mixture starts to boil, toss in the oats and immediately turn the heat down to medium/low.  Watch it closely because once the milk gets hot, it boils fast, and if you're not quick with the oats, it will boil over.  Give it a good stir to make sure everything is mixed up.  Set the timer for five minutes, stirring occasionally.  After the five minutes are up, remove from heat. 

When I'm making it in advance, I put into a glass bowl and after it's cooled down some, I put the lid on it and put in the fridge.  When I make it for Babyface in the morning, I spread it across a plate so it can cool enough that he can eat it.  Sometimes I stick the plate in the freezer for a minute or two and that does the trick.  The plate pictured above is almost one serving of Babyface's breakfast.  

2 Ingredient Chocolate Croissants

I wish you could smell the sweet, bready, chocolatey goodness that wafts from my kitchen.  Oh, it's amazing.  I made this batch this chilly autumn morning for another family and they were in for a delicious breakfast.  I intentionally didn't make any for My Heart's Desire or me, a decision that has proven unpopular. 

Chocolate Croissants are a great addition to brunch and a yummy holiday breakfast. I made them one Christmas morning and there were a big hit.

They are so easy and fast to make.  It only takes 16 minutes total and 13 of those minutes are baking.  However, they aren't as good as leftovers.  Okay, without further ado.

2 Ingredient Chocolate Croissants

1 package refrigerated crescent rolls (8 rolls)
Chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.  While the oven is heating, unroll crescent rolls into 8 triangles (this is how they come).

Sprinkle the dough liberally with chocolate chips and roll up. Bring the edges around to the front.  Put them on a cookie sheet, lined with parchment if you have it, or greased if you don't.

Bake for 11-13 minutes until golden brown.  Accept compliments.

Today I am grateful for falling leaves, a quick morning rain in the drizzle, a support system, my BFF, My Heart's Desire slow-cooked turkey chili yesterday for dinner tonight, the library, the way Babyface smells after a bath (My Heart's Desire sometimes calls him Old Dirty Neck), all of our appliances work, bargains, gas in my car, and that while I don't have every thing I want, I have everything I need.

2012 Goals: Fourth Quarter

My plan for goals 2012 was to have quarterly goals.  I had first quarter goals and second quarter goals but for the third quarter I was goal-less.  I don't want to end the year with a whimper so I'm coming up with some fourth quarter goals.  It's somewhat daunting to consider adding more things to my things to do list but I've also been in a bit of a rut. These are also goals I think I can achieve before the last day of the year.

Here are my goals for October—December:

Writing
1) Participate in my writer's group.  The last time we had a meeting on the books I had to reschedule it.  We have one scheduled now and I am going to show up with bells on. We have been meeting since the first summer after graduate school, that's eight years now.

Healthy
2) My trainer has strongly suggested that I track my food and workouts in an online tracker.  My goals is to do it at least five times a week. She always says the only way to change something is first to bring your attention to it.

Romance
3) My Heart's Desire and I will go on dates at least once a month.  It takes some doing and scheduling to make happen but it can be done.  We went to a lovely wedding in September and it was nice to get dressed up and celebrate love.  Oh, and be a little silly.

Community Service
4) Usually My Heart's Desire and I participate in sorting food for my church's Thanksgiving food drive providing meals for hungry families.  I'm not sure we can work it out this year but I do want our family to be of service somehow.

Parenting
5) I'm continuing to take the parenting classes with Babyface at the hippie school.  Some of the other babies and moms have been in the class since last fall and it's really wonderful to see how they change and grow.  I've also bought several books at our teacher's recommendations.  Now, I want to actually read at least two of them.

Easy like Sunday morning

This morning I woke up at 5:30 because it was ch-ch-chilly in the house.  I tiptoed over to the thermostat and put the heat on, then climbed back in bed.  I was going to lay down for a minute then find my glasses and read when lo and behold I fell back to sleep.  I heard Babyface at around 7:30 (yesterday he got up for me at 6:30) and My Heart's Desire took care of him.  I slept and slept until after 8am!  This, for me, is amazing!  I haven't slept past 6:30 in months.  I felt like a whole new (and happier) person!

Babyface and I have colds so our usual weekend activities like long walks outside, fun time at the park and a few errands were discarded for lounging in our jammies.  Now he's taking his afternoon nap and I am making fresh bread in the breadmaker I scored at my church's rummage sale last hour super sale of everything you can carry for $20.  I made out like a bandit and we'll see how good this bread is.  Next I want to bake cinnamon bread to make French Toast.  This autumn has been a bit fickle but cool temperatures will soon be here to stay.

Today I am grateful for hot water, Babyface's zerberts, beautiful weather, falling leaves, regional accents, getting a kick out of Maria Semple's Where'd You Go, Bernadette, tried and true recipes, sneaking in a nap, a nice chat with my mom, my soft, super-comfy maternity capri sweatpants, a fancy pedicure to look forward to, mulling, thrift store/rummage sale treasures that brighten up the house, finishing a magazine, keeping a sense of humor, priorities, appreciating our big TV (My Heart's Desire bought it a year and a half ago and I still think of it as the new TV), early 90's comedies, the smell of clean laundry, making lists, good friends, and every day is a new beginning.

Blame

Blame by Michelle Huneven is about Patsy, an alcoholic woman who goes to jail for running over two Jehovah's Witnesses in her driveway during yet another blackout.  Patsy gets sober, is released, and starts a new life in the shadow of her old one.  The story is very interesting though it feels like it's about her head and not her heart.  I wanted to know more about how she felt.