Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today...June 29, 2009

Outside my window...the sweet chatter of squirrels and happy tweeting of birds. Our big backyard tree is a happening place.

I am thinking...about my wonderful family. And about my friends, that are just like family. :)

I am thankful for...my husband's altered work schedule this week: he'll be home more than usual, which I love!

From the kitchen...several crock-pot recipes to try (since the heat is really making me shy away from my oven): lemon and dill salmon (fish, in the crock-pot --- who knew?), tamale/cornbread pie, and chicken wraps (PF Chang-style, the recipe says). Hopefully, we'll have some winners out of the bunch.

I am wearing...jeans, yellow floral tank top, and sandals.

I am reading...still working my way through Playful Parenting, but now I've added Heaven on Earth. I'm loving it so far. It has really struck a chord with me and the atmosphere of learning and living I'd like to implement in our home.

I am hoping...that our new-house situation, which is currently in limbo, sorts itself out this coming week. I hate when things are just up in the air, waiting to come crashing down (or not). Whether or not things go the way we hope, I just want it settled one way or the other. Patience is not one of my strengths.

I am creating...a new (again!) menu rotation for summer. I am too busy right now to keep changing it up, so to speak. I need a solid 4-week rotation to see us through the hot months.

I am praying...that God will give us the answers we are seeking, help us find the right path on which to tread.

I am hearing...Roo trying to coax Rascal through her dilapidated couch-cushion tunnel: so far, he's not falling for it!

Around the house...chaos and disorder reign supreme. Must gain control over that immediately. My mind can't take much more of this...stuff...everywhere I look.

One of my favorite things...how my son's face beams every time he sets eyes on his big sister. She can get smiles from him when no one else can!

Some plans for the rest of the week...print up pictures to include in some thank you notes I'm sending out; grocery shopping (since that didn't happen this past weekend); a visit from my Mom and my sister; a Fourth of July BBQ on Saturday; and a strict earlier bedtime for myself!

Here is a picture thought (or two, or eight!) that I am sharing...We spent a lazy Sunday at the park: having a picnic, gathering sticks, capturing ladybugs, kicking the ball around, swinging, spying mushrooms growing under the trees, admiring the gardens in front of the surrounding houses...

While Peggy from The Simple Woman is taking a much deserved break for the summer, Grandmother Wren is graciously hosting the links for the Simple Woman's Daybook Society. Please meet up there for more inspiring Daybook entries!

Cuteness

Roo and I were cuddled on the couch reading a book. One of the pages we were looking at had several dogs pictured.

Roo: "Look at those dogs all lined up."

Me: "Can you count how many dogs there are? Try counting with your eyes instead of your finger." (If there is more than 3 or 4 of anything, she counts using her finger pointing to each one as she goes along, so she doesn't skip one or count another one twice, etc.)

Roo: "Hmm...I can do that. 1...2...3...4...5...6......7! 7 dogs in a row."

Me: "Yay! You did it. You counted the dogs just by using your eyes!"

Roo: "And my mouth!!"

4-Cheese Lasagna

Oh my. I really meant to get this post up a couple of days ago, like I said I would do. But, better late than never, I guess. And I think you just might think this one was worth the wait:

4-Cheese Lasagna

(Although as I was typing, I realized it's actually 5. However, we've gotten so used to calling it 4-Cheese, I think we'll just stick with it. Maybe because I don't really consider cottage cheese a cheese, per se, perhaps that's why my mind has latched onto the number 4. Of course, if you don't consider cottage or ricotta to be in the "cheese" family, you can call it 3-Cheese Lasagna. Or, lasagne, if you prefer it that way). Anyway, moving on...

1.5 lbs. ground turkey (Just a side note, my husband and father-in-law don't like lasagna made with turkey, they usually only eat it made with ground beef. That being said, they both thought this was made with beef when they tasted it. It has so much flavor that it wins over staunch beef lasagna-eaters. Try it, you'll see. On the other hand, I don't like the taste of ground beef. So even if the beef-eaters think it could pass for beef, it tastes like turkey to me. Really, it works on so many levels: 3-cheese, 4-cheese, 5-cheese, beef, turkey, etc. How many one-dish meals can you say that about?)

1 white onion, finely chopped

1 16 oz. can peeled and diced tomatoes, undrained

2 6 oz. cans tomato paste (one regular can of paste and one can that comes with the oregano and basil added to it)

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried sweet basil

1/8 tsp garlic salt

9 lasagna noodles, cooked

1 1/2 cups small-curd cottage cheese

1/2 - 3/4 cup ricotta cheese

8 oz. swiss cheese, shredded

8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

good handful parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Brown turkey and onion in skillet. Add tomatoes, both cans tomato paste, and spices. Simmer 10 minutes.

Arrange 3 noodles in a 9"x11" pan. Add half the swiss and mozzarella over the noodles. Then add half the cottage and ricotta cheese. Next spread about half of the meat/tomato mixture. Repeat with 3 more noodles, cheeses (Swiss, mozzarella, cottage, ricotta), and meat mixture. Add the last 3 noodles on top and sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 or so minutes. This can be assembled the day ahead and refrigerated. Bake a refrigerated lasagna for 45 minutes.

Now I got to making this lasagna so frequently that I prepared some things in advance to speed it along. For instance, I made several batches of the spices (salt, pepper, dried oregano, dried basil, garlic salt) and stored each bundle of spices (good for one pan lasagna per bundle) in old black film canisters. {I know, you are probably wondering who still possesses the old 35 mm film canisters. Well, I do. I thought they were cute little containers and I just knew I'd find a use for them. Obviously, if you are not a pack rat such as myself, you could use those little snack baggies or some small tupperware pieces.}

Occasionally, I also browned the turkey and onions in advance and froze them in ziploc bags. That way, I could just take the turkey/onion combo out of the freezer the night before. On baking day, I would throw the meat and onions in the skillet and add the tomatoes and spices. Cutting out that browning step seems small, but it does save time. I will say that I prefer the taste of the meat and onions cooked the same day as the lasagna is assembled. Something about the texture of the thawed onions was off-putting to me. But hey, experiment and see what you think.

Also, you certainly can make the lasagna using two cans of regular tomato paste if that is what you have on hand. Because the recipe calls for added spices anyway, it doesn't alter the taste a great deal if you skip the part about using 1 can oregano/basil flavored tomato paste. I just happened to substitute one can of regular for one can of oregano/basil by mistake one day. Turns out, we liked it better that way and so that's the way I continue to make it.

I would love to give credit where it's due for this recipe, but I can't remember to whom that would be. I've been making this for about 7 years and my mind can only hold so many bits of information. I will say that I have a hunch it came from Deniece Schofield, author of Confessions of an Organized Homemaker, but don't quote me on that.

Lastly, I apologize for not having a picture of the finished product. It disappeared so quickly after I made it, and before I thought to snap a photo. I am one of those people that won't make something if it doesn't come with a picture. If you are one of those people too, I'm sorry. But, try it anyway. And take of picture of it. And send it to me. Then I'll have a photo to put at the top of this post!

Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake

I had a couple of requests for the cinnamon crumb coffee cake that I made a couple of days back, so here it goes.

Now, this recipe is courtesy of Lucy's Specific Carbohydrate Diet Cookbook, so I can't take any credit for it. Although I do alter it a bit. It is made for people on a special diet due to Crohn's disease, Ulcerative colitis, and other digestive diseases. Frankly, I know that my tastebuds are "tainted," to a degree. When you must follow a strict diet for medical reasons, you develop a taste for non-traditional baked goods because they are your only option. However, I've served it to several guests who weren't following such a diet and they liked it. So, it must taste pretty much like a traditional coffee cake to those with "normal" palates.

Now that I've laced this post with all sorts of disclaimers, I bet you're totally ready to just dive in and make this non-traditional/could-possibly-pass-for-traditional coffee cake! Really, though, it's pretty tasty.

Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake

Cake:

3 Tbsp butter, melted

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup homemade yogurt (you can absolutely substitute plain yogurt here)

2 eggs, beaten

2 1/2 cups almond flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

1/2 cup raisins (Personal preference here, I leave them out because I can't stand raisins in my food)

Topping: (I triple the amounts for cinnamon, honey, and butter shown here -- I'll explain why later. Leave the almond amount the same)

1 Tbsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp butter, melted

1/4 cup sliced almonds

For the cake, mix together butter, honey, yogurt, and eggs. Stir in almond flour, baking soda, salt, and chopped nuts (and raisins, if using).

In a small bowl, mix together cinnamon, honey, and butter. The original recipe calls for this topping to go only on the top of the coffeecake. However, I like to add some to the middle of the cake and double the amount I put on the top of the cake.

So, if you tripled the topping amount, add about 1/3 of it to the middle of the cake by pouring half the batter into the buttered pan, adding some of the topping mixture to make a middle "layer", then add the other half of the cake batter over the topping. Then add the remaining topping (you should have about 2/3 of it left) over the top of the entire cake. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake @ 310 degrees for 30 minutes.

If you didn't choose to triple the topping amount (you're crazy and you'll be sorry later -- just kidding!), then just pour all the batter at once into the buttered pan. Pour the (scant!) topping over the batter and finish off with the almonds. Bake at 310 for 25-30 minutes.

Sometimes I eat this warmed up, as-is. Other times I add a dollup of homemade jam: that is strawberry rhubarb pictured up top. Yum!

*Note: goods baked with almond flour can overcook quite easily and become very dry. Do not overbake!

Flylady would be proud!

A little background on me: I have a tendency, as a stay-at-home-mom in a one-car household, to stay in my pajamas all day. Generally, the kids follow suit. It's not something I'm proud of, and I cringed a bit when I typed that opening sentence. But, it's true more often than not.

I did the FlyLady thing for awhile and I did find that my efficiency and productivity increased when I "dressed to the shoes," as suggested. It perked up my attitude too. That whole, "If you look good, you feel good," thing.

So, feeling in a rut lately, mentally and domestically, I decided we would all start getting dressed before going downstairs to breakfast. Here's a little shared dialogue from the other morning:



Me: "Let's get dressed."

Roo: "Where are we going?" [Reason #1 that we usually get dressed]

Me: "Going? We're not going anywhere today."

Roo: "Who is coming to visit us?" [Reason #2 that we usually get dressed]

Me: "We're not going anywhere and no one is coming to visit today. I just think we should get dressed."

Roo: "Yay! I love getting dressed!" [she yelled as she ran off toward her closet]

Hmm...she's sure easy to please, isn't she? The fact that getting dressed is such a novelty around here is a bit concerning. We'll have to work on that.

Wait until she sees Mama taking it a step further tomorrow (which will be: brushing my hair and putting on a wee bit of makeup) ---- she'll think somebody really impressive, like the Pope or the Queen, is paying us a visit (of course, a "really impressive" guest to a 4 year old would probably be Curious George or Thomas the train, not the Queen or the Pope).

Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today...June 22, 2009

Outside my window...my garden looks to be thriving, surprisingly. Hmm... it seems the more I leave it alone, the better it does!

I am thinking...about how to sneak some fun into the week ahead. Most of what we have going on is pretty much boring (but important), adult stuff -- the kids will most likely be feeling lost in the shuffle of our busy lives this week. Where can we squeeze in a trip to the park or a visit from Grandma?

I am thankful for...the never-ending support we receive from our family: my parents, my sister and her family -- they have been so wonderful as we are undergoing some major changes and challenges in our lives.

From the kitchen... For this morning: cinnamon crumb coffee cake (substituting almond flour for all-purpose flour). For lunch: chicken salad. And for dinner tonight: 4-Cheese Lasagna and green beans in lemon butter sauce.

I am wearing...pajama pants and a tank top (it's still pretty early and I had to dash out of the bedroom this morning before getting dressed, as my son was crying and I didn't want him to wake his sister up).

I am creating...some new lounge pants for my children. We cleaned out my husband's closet this past weekend and I found several super-soft (read: worn a few too many times) t-shirts that would make comfy pants for the littles. Yay! That will keep me out of JoAnn's fabric store -- at least for this week! ;)

I am going...to draw up a master to-do list, so nothing slips by me this upcoming (and extremely busy) week. I need to delegate certain tasks to my husband and break my tasks down by day. When I get overwhelmed, I tend to freeze up and do nothing. If I dish out a little to be done each day, hopefully I can divide and conquer!

I am reading...Playful Parenting by Lawrence Cohen

I am hoping...that my son (who is breastfed) is NOT allergic to chocolate, as this not-having-cocoa-thing is really tough for me on these bleary-eyed mornings. I need to avoid it for another week to get a better idea of how it's affecting him.

I am hearing...the hum of the ceiling fan above my head as I type. Racal's barefeet are pitter-pattering around in the front hall.

Around the house...a plumber is coming to fix the faucet and pipe in our tub/shower. I hope it's fixable and I hope it's not going to cost a small fortune! I have an overflowing laundry basket with my name on it, so I better tackle that today.

One of my favorite things...taking my daughter to swimming lessons while my husband stays home with our son. That way I can just sit and focus on watching her instead of walking around and around with my antsy little guy! My daughter likes it too: "Just the girls," she says as we leave together for class each week.

A few plans for the rest of the week...the plumber today, a consult with a specialist at Children's for my son tomorrow, an inspection on a prospective future home on Wednesday, and even more appointments for Thursday and Friday. Somewhere in there I have to do a big grocery shopping trip and run to the library!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...During this crazy week, I'll be trying to channel the peace I felt gazing upon this lake on vacation a few weeks back. Ahhh...I can almost feel the cool calm washing over me (repeat to self as needed) :)

Grandmother Wren is the gracious hostess for the Simple Woman's Daybook during the summer. Please hop on over to visit Grandmother Wren and read more Daybook entries.

The Start of Summer...

It was Lobster Day yesterday. We've had an annual lobster dinner in my family now for almost 30 years. It's the traditional way we kick off summer around here. The festive spread makes my mouth water: fresh lobster with plenty of butter and lemon, potato salad with asparagus and bacon, coleslaw, corn on the cob, warmed sourdough bread, and a light and fluffy dessert (this year my sister made a layered something-wonderful: Oreo cookie crust, chocolate pudding, whipped cream: simple and super yummy).

Here's Roo checking out our dinner. She pet them, carried them about, and named each and every one of them (just like I used to do when I was little). Fortunately, she didn't seem to make the connection between the lobsters crawling around in front of her and the lobsters that showed up on our plates!

My family, like many, is steeped in tradition. I love it. I thrive on tradition. It provides a kind of rhythm that soothes me. Lobster Day? Must be the start of summer. Croquet and jarts on the lawn? It must be 4th of July. Crabbing, body surfing, sandcastle building, and feasting on Jersey tomatoes = August, down the shore. Orange rolls and cocoa? Time for the annual Christmas tree cutting.

Traditions comfort and nurture us. And when we take part in traditions that go back several generations, we feel apart of something bigger than ourselves. When I look at old black and white photos of my great-grandfather and his family down at the shore, I feel that it's more than a beach vacation that we're taking. It's building on who we are and where we've come from as a family. Going back to our roots. Every time we take part in long-standing traditions, we send those roots down a little deeper.

Some people like to change things up -- give traditions a modern flair. My sister is one of those people. She appreciates tradition, but longs for something new. She is completely comfortable with the idea of skipping the Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing recipe handed down from our grandmother, and getting take-out Chinese food instead.

I, on the other hand, am a traditionalist. A deviation from tradition is okay once in a great while. But, on the whole, I want it the way it's been for as long as I can remember. That's why I look forward to days such as Lobster Day. Not only because the menu is mouth-watering, but because it just how we "do" the start of summer. They're synonymous.

As they say, the only constant in life is change. Isn't it nice to have something you can always count on?

The centerpiece: freshly-picked roses from my sister's garden. Aren't they gorgeous?!