Soup. Rain. 'Nuff Said.

I am officially back to working full time since having Theo, er, 18 months ago.  After the first week I'm feeling good, a little tired and overwhelmed but good.  It really is an adjustment for the whole family though when both parents work and babe is in 'school', life seems to go by so damn fast. I'm always rushing it seems, rushing to daycare so I'm not late for work, rushing home before Theo falls asleep so he can eat dinner and go to bed at a reasonable time, throwing in a load of laundry while taking the dog for a whizz, anything I can do to save a minute here and there.  I'm not complaining, well sorta not complaining, I don't think at this stage I'd have it any other way.  I'm finding I just need to prioritize this time on the weekends just the way I want it.  60% snuggled with Theo and Simon reading, singing, cuddling, playing at the park/library or some such location, movies/damages, treating ourselves to a dinner out, watching Wiggles (a incredibly mind numbing children's show), 30% cooking, baking, reading blog recipes, grocery shopping and 10% doing the hated tasks; figuring out what's rotten in my kitchen, washing disgusting diapers, cleaning the bathroom, picking up toys and putting them in their designated basket just to have them dug out and dumped on the floor five minutes later...ugh.

My new strategy is to take my Sunday and do some meal planning/meal prepping and bulk cooking, so far, so good.  I made the below recipe, adapted from this great cookbook, last weekend and it was real good.  We ended up eating it for a couple of days, it's really kid friendly thanks to the corn, which is in season and nice and sweet.  I also doubled a standard coconut curry recipe so we chomped on that for a bit too.  I'm trying real real hard not to let good food go by the waist side when it's so important to me.  Some things are just more important than a clean bathroom, right?..clean underwear, maybe not so much.  

Summer Corn and Vegetable Soup
adapted from The Food you Crave; Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life
by Ellie Krieger

4 cups fresh corn
2 cups milk
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 red pepper, chopped
1 small zucchini
a handful of new potatoes (5-8)
1 cup chickpeas
2 cups broth or water
2 plum tomatoes (seeded and diced)
a good bunch of basil chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Put two cups of the corn in a blender with the milk and process until smooth.  Set aside.

Heat the oil in a pot.  Add the onion, bell pepper, zucchini, potato and chickpeas and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender.  Add the remaining 2 cups of corn, basil and the broth and bring to a boil.  Add the pureed corn and the tomatoes and cook until warmed through.  Season accordingly.

Happy Weekending!

Dandyfest in Sparta Ontario

From the City...

There are a handful of perks of being married to a musician; a permanent spot on the guest list, free shirts, stickers and cds, behind the scene band gossip, oh and of course, free festivals at vineyards and stays at lovely country b&b's.  The whole big group of us went, wives, kids, friends and little babes.  We stayed up late as predicted and danced and drank beer and laughed while kids ran in circles around us.

The next day we tucked into a big sunday B& B brunch, drove to Port Stanley where we swam and ate fresh perch straight from Lake Erie with chippies slathered in ketchup and malt vinegar.

A pretty perfect way to round out the summer.
-amelia

Some Toronto Chefs, Two Farmers, a Whack of Kids and Whole Bunch of Birds to Butcher.

From the City..

I spent a week at the farm while Simon was on tour out east and I lucked out that this little butcher-fest was going down while I was there.  I think roughly 20 birds were killed, plucked and hung, oh and of course, a couple were cooked over a fire pit and eaten.

Quail, chicken, roasted eggplant, fresh tomatoes and bitter greens and little hands coming in for some melon.

Theo and I are tagging along with Sime this weekend for the last festival of the summer.  We'll be camping and eating festival food and listening to live music and dancing and staying up late and laughing with our band family.  All good ways to send off the summer and welcome the fall.

Hope your long weekend does the same.
amelia

Balcony Beans and Other Good Things...

From the City...

Our little balcony garden is a hotbed of excitement these days.  We had a great feed of green and yellow beans which we didn't have to supplement with ones from the market and our bean plants from Nate are exploding with flowers and little buds!  We've also been eating no shortage of basil and our little green zebra tomatoes are just about there, I'm just a little fearful that they might get picked early because a certain someone in the family thinks they're balls and he's just dying to play with them.

-amelia

A Day at the Zoo.

From the City...

Here's some pics from our Toronto zoo day yesterday, thanks to bro in law Toddy for these.  I have resorted to stealing others pictures so I don't have to actually use my own camera, sad I know.  But its also fun to see what someone else thought was photo-worthy, the below are pretty great I think. 

Pony rides, picnics, splash pads (the world's best) and 'train' rides and some seriously crashed out tiredy kids at the end of it all.

good day,

-amelia

Lately.

From the City...
Lately we've been doing a lot of summerin; swimming, being naked, playing in the sink because our apartment is sweltering hot, eating our first feed of green beans from our garden, torturing myself by going to the world's hardest workout class (I survived but barely), climbing up onto the kitchen table and of course, eating roasted marshmallows.  To think we have a whole other month of summer ahead of us!

Still ahead; The Toronto Zoo, Hillside Festival, Ward's Family Cottage Weekend, visits with Linds and her babe Elle, and Eaglewood.  Lots and lots of good times ahead.  

-amelia

Raspberry Jamming 2012

From the City...
Well it's that time of year again, our annual raspberry jamming weekend.  This year we harvested and jammed all in the same day.  Our third year and we seemed to have a nice flow about us, that and Laura came long to help...you remember Laura right??? the other half of the HKS...

We picked 25 quarts from Sweet Scent Farms in Lindsay and made about 20 various sized jars. We also froze about 12 cups of berries for jamming in the winter, which is just straight up genius! Kudos to Meg W. for that one.

Here's some pics:

Ripe and ready for the pickin'.

There's a whole team of us out there; 5 adults, 3 kids and 3 toddlers! 

We can now breath a collective sigh of relief because the raspberry jam shelf is stocked again.

 ....and in other exciting news, we found this deluxe scrabble board on the street!  It smells a bit like your grandma's rec room, it has a swiveling base and little grooves to keep your letters in place, which is handy when your son enjoys whipping bits of play doh at it.

...ah yes, Theo loves playdoh. 

-amelia

My May in Review.

From the City...

What happened this month:

-Simon and his band left for tour and it has been Theo and I holding down the fort.  We're one week in with one and a bit still to go.  So far, so good.  The total number of meltdowns (from me not Theo) can be counted on one hand so I definitely think that's saying something.

-I hit the mother load at the thrift stores, purple lee jeans, crocs for Theo, more summer clothes for the mama

- Our co-op daycare is restructuring and restructuring some more.  Our current location is just not cutting it for us so we're on the hunt for a new and better location....

-I've found my cooking groove again 

and have been making some tasty things including these carrot muffins and these vegan friendly peanut noodles. 

-had an amazing girls weekend with my three favourite ladies....think girly movies, junk food, indian food, celebrity magazines, yearbooks and no shortage of gossip

-Theo and I planted our balcony garden...including our bean plant from Nate, all the herbs one can ever need, zebra tomato plants, salad greens, yellow and green beans and of course a couple beautiful orange and yellow marigolds which Theo promptly pulled the flowers off.

-We ate our weight in asparagus

-I found a new blog to love...you should definitely check it out cause then you'll be as hooked as me

-Theos hair is growing and growing!  It's soft and fluffy and sun bleached..oh how that child is adorable.

-My first full day in the daycare as the duty parent...it was a really unique experience because I got to watch Theo interact with other kids and basically how a day in a daycare unfolds, which trust me, is completely and utterly exhausting.

What I'm looking forward to in June: 

-Strawberries and of course more asparagus

-Simon returning home to us

-Finishing up the end of my work contract 

-Swimming in a lake 

-Planning our summer including a couple camping trips, summer musical festivals and day trips

-watching our garden grow

-Splash pads in the park  

-a trip to the Toronto Islands

- a date night with Sime.  We're determined to get out there and try a new restaurant.

-my sister coming for a second girls night! 

Photo Credit: Gregarious Peach 

But seriously, how phenomenal is this picture.  It's from my new fav blog.  You should go check it out.

-amelia

A long Couple o' Weeks Ahead of Us...

From the City...

So the boys left for the west today.  The very packed van was gassed up, outfitted with new tires, snacks, movies, music, laptops, books and I'm sure no shortage of conversation that only boys in bands say to one another..I shudder at the thought.  The first leg of their trip is the longest, two 16 hour days to the first show in Winnipeg.  After Winnipeg, it's off to Regina, then Saskatoon, then Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and home.  

So it's up to Theo and I to hold down the fort until the Papa bear gets home...so what to do?? A girls weekend coming up which should be nice, some dinner with friends, a duty parent day at daycare, work (ugh),  balcony gardening and hopefully a sleepover here in the city with my sister...are you reading this Laur???

I'm also on the hunt for some kid friendly vegan recipes for the daycare as I am now the Thursday lunch person so if you have anything good up your sleeve, please send them my way.

-amelia

Seriously Outnumbered.

From the City...

So I'm in charge of the little Millie Monster today while her mama is at the market with her bro's and her dad are selling his goods to the restos here in the city.  Simon is away playing at a wedding so it is just me and the little ones, holding down the fort....dare I say, two babies are easier than one fussy baby?    Getting places was a challenge, yes, but once we were there (the park) they were amazing.  When we got back home the two had a huge lunch followed by a session of destroying my newly planted balcony garden and chasing each other around the apartment.  Amazingly there has not been a single tear shed all day, I kid you not.  Now one is sleeping while the other is looking up at me like she just might need a cuddle and a snooze.

(literally three minutes after the above post was written)

-amelia

What a Good Long Weekend Looks Like...

From the City...

Lots of playing with cousins
First swims in the kiddie pool
Cuddles with aunties and uncles
Yard sales galore (may the season BEGIN!)
Deck party time
Fish and Chips....you don't even have to ask, there was lots of vinegar, tartar sauce and ketchup involved
Dirt on feet, dirt on hands, dirt on clothes, dirt in hair.....just dirt, everywhere.
Our first crop of mosquito bites
Family baseball games
Hunting for wild asparagus
And a looooong, much needed, nap on the way home.

...just the best long weekend.

-amelia

A Recap of April...something new I'm trying

From the City...

Heather Pollock Photography 

Things that happened:

-Theo and I tagged along to The Strumbellas photo shoot and the ever lovely and wonderful Heather Pollock offered to take some family pics for us.  We're real happy with them, they're a bit gritty and dark and different, which we love.  Theo also didn't fail to deliver on his array of snarky expressions. 

Heather Pollock Photography 

-I'm finally getting into the groove of work. I won't lie, there have been some hurdles but slowly we're getting into finding some balance between life and baby and work.  

-We found out that Simon's band got into The Hillside music festival! Definitely something we're looking forward to.

-Mustered up and did some spring cleaning, washed floors, windows, organized shelves, cleaned bathroom...ugh.

-We went to a whole bunch of daycare meetings.  Things are happening.  The little co-op daycare that we're apart of starts on Monday.

-Theo was sick, teething, cold, cough equally one unhappy baby and two equally unhappy parents. 

What I learnt this month:

-Theo can and will eat his weight in dirt if you let him.  

-This mama requires at least 6-7 solid hours of sleep, watch out if I don't get it!

-How to make gnocchi 

-A clean and organized place to live makes my life function better 

-Our new neighbour down the hall is an opera singer and practises almost every night for about an hour.  

-Theo slept all night...to 5:30 am to be exact.  It was blissfully amazing and wonderful, I haven't slept that long and uninterupted in more than a year, we've digressed a little since then but that one night made me realize that good long sleeps are just around the corner.

What I'm looking forward to in May:

-Daycare starting for Theo on Wednesday.  Hold back the tears.

-A seed swap

-Starting our balcony garden...lots of salad greens, herbs and tomatoes

-Trying some new recipes and hopefully eating some early asparagus 

-Theo walking, we're so close... I think May's the month it's gonna happen.

-A girls weekend with my all time favourite best friends.  It should be a good one. 

-Mother's day! wahooo.  I've already booked myself a little massage (paid for by insurance, not out of pocket) and possibly a haircut to go with it.  I have such a hard time justifying haircuts but I found a woman in Little Korea that I love and the whole thing with tip is $50.  I know, I gasped a little too.  But you get a really good wash, head massage, style, cut and dry.  Plus, she's so great with Theo.  She talks to him in Korean the entire time and he giggles and flirts with her.  Its pretty cute actually.

-Let the yard sales begin!

-Hanging with fam on the long weekend.  Getting some cuddles in with the oh so cute nieces and nephews. 

-amelia

Reading??? Reading?? What's that?

                                                             From the City. 

Alright, I'll admit it, I haven't read a book in three (er, 5) months.  Haven't even tried to get through one.  Since returning to work, all I do in the evenings is melt into a pile of mush on the couch watching tv and working on my laptop.  Horrible right? I can't even use our sleeping arrangement as an excuse anymore because Theo now sleeps in his own bed.  

So i've decided something's gotta give. 

The book is Free for All by Janet Poppendieck and the timeframe is exactly one month starting today. It's like 10 measly pages a day, nothing right?? Try telling me that when the new season of cougar town is on. 

In other news, here's a really good soup recipe.  Kale, potatoes and sausage, gooooood.  

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves minced

2 Sausages minus the casings

2 large potatoes cubed

1 large bunch of kale, washed and chopped

3 cups stock or water

1/2 cup cream

salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions and garlic with sausage (minus the casings) for 3 to 5 minutes until sausage is no longer pink.  

Add potatoes, mix well, making sure to get that good pork fat all over those taters.

Add stock and kale.

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.

Allow to cook for a good 45-50 minutes so all those good flavours can mingle.

I pureed the soup for just a minute or two to make the kale easier for Theo to eat and its also a good way to make your soup creamy healthily.  

Add cream or milk or soy (whatever you like and have on hand)

Season and enjoy.

happy tuesday everyone,

-amelia

A Musician's Son..1 Year Milestones

From the City...

We love iphones.  Big time.  Watching videos, listening to music..all good things.

Strumbellas photo shoot, not a bad looking bunch.

How to keep busy babies out of a photoshoot??? looks of cookies and bananas...

Ever so patient and wonderful manager Jo...playing and loving our little Theo  

Lots of exciting things on the go for us over here these days, hence the lack of blogging which I apologize for.  Simon is gearing up for a big three week tour out west, which is both exciting and equally terrifying.  Its hard to imagine three weeks without that hilarious guy but it's pretty amazing and inspiring to actually see someone go out there and do what they love.  

Theo is teething, again.  This kid cuts teeth like nobodies business and every time it is the exact same except for this time because all he wants to do when he's teething is nurse and mama's gotta pay some bills, making it, needless to say, pretty difficult on the ol' papa bear. 

Our co-op daycare is taking shape, which is pretty darn exciting.  It opens next week and we'll be celebrating with a potluck at the new space on Friday night.  So many great families involved that feel so passionate about what they envision for their child's daycare space...it's really quite inspiring.  Theo starts next week so I'll keep you all posted.  

Work is busy and by the end of the day, I'm just itching to get home to Theo, where I just collapse on the couch and let him crawl all over me.  I try to come home early which means working after he goes to bed but  those extra couple of hours with him seem so incredibly worth it.  Nevertheless by the weekend, I've missed him so much that week that I don't want to go anywhere without him.  

I don't know who's having a harder time with this work/life arrangement, him or me?   

Cooking...hmm..see, not a chance.  This is a shame to me because I just love to cook.  More than that, I love the whole meal process of recipe hunting, planning, market trips, butcher shops, prepping, cooking and of course, eating.  I'm hoping that once work slows down a bit I'll be able to find a groove that makes room for work, and food and baby and husband.  

A girl can dream right?

-amelia

Gnocchi-tastic!

From the City...

Prink those taters.  

Bake 2 large russet potatoes @ 350 degrees for 45 minutes

mash potatoes, 1 egg and 1/2 -3/4 cup flour 

Knead dough for about a minute until you have a nice little lump of dough like this.

Divide dough into four balls and shape into rolls.

Cut into bite size pieces, keeping in mind they should all be the same shape and size (good luck with that one!!!) and gently imprint with a fork...not sure what the purpose of this is but it sure looks pretty. 

I served mine with a homemade pasta sauce which Simon said should have been something fancier like a rose or a brown butter sauce...hmmm...interesting.  The next batch I make, I'm going to mess around with different cheeses and possibly a different vegetable...but all in all, I'd consider these a total success.  They were buttery and soft and pretty darn good, if I do say so myself, but I won't lie, a bit of a pain in the ass time wise.  Make these when you have a bunch of people over who can help with the process.  

amelia

Cleaning out the Pantry and Making Something Tasty

from the city...

I've been on a cooking new recipe hiatus these days now that I'm back at work but I'm determined to get outta this slump and start cooking again.  So this weekend, I went all out in the kitchen and it was great.  I felt inspired, I felt creative and more importantly, we all felt full!  Its not to say that we don't eat well during the week, we do, we just tend to eat the same four quick and easy things, with scrambled eggs being a definite at least once during the week.


So here's a recipe for coconut lentil curry that I adapted from this one.  We ate it two days in a row and even Theo couldn't get enough of it...that guy loves his coconut milk.
Its a good cleaning out your pantry recipe...

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 tomatoes chopped

2 large potatoes cubed 

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups water

1 1/2 cups dried red lentils (10 oz)

1 (13- to 14-oz) can unsweetened coconut milk

1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro sprigs

Saute onions, garlic, ginger and tomatoes for 3-5 minutes.  Add cumin, coriander, turmeric and salt.  Mix well and cook for another 3-5 minutes.  Add water, lentils and coconut milk and allow to cook for about 15-20 minutes.  Serve with pita, brown rice and garnished with cilantro.  


Here's a couple other recipes that I've come across that are looking real tasty...
An oh so heavenly korma recipe
Mashed potatoes and kale, enough said
Muffins with jam baked in???? amazing!
Potato, rice and peas with indian spices....a little side of perfection
These are just too beautiful for words!


What's cooking in your kitchen in these days????
amelia