Hitting My Stride

Things are finally starting to feel like they make sense to me... 

In the last few weeks the girls and I have gotten into a pretty good groove during the week. Lillian takes a pretty reliable morning nap and, usually an afternoon nap as well. In between, we have a great time playing with toys, enjoying lunch and snacks, running errands, going for walks with Zoey or joining the other moms and babies at play group. I think the sense of routine helps all of us feel grounded, even though every day is still a little bit different.

I've also felt like JiT and I have actually been able to reconnect a little bit lately. Over the course of the move and the holidays and him getting settled into his new office, we'd kind of drifted a little bit. I guess there were just so many other priorities in our lives.  By the time we ever had the chance to focus on "us" we were too damned tired to care. But over the last few weekends we've tried to make time to do stuff as a family, and particularly with each other. Sometimes its as simple as a family walk around the neighborhood or a group trip to the grocery store. A couple of times we've put Lilly to bed early and enjoyed a quiet dinner at the dining room table (no tv) with a glass of wine and some jazz music. Its been wonderful.  

Other things making me happy right now: 

Freelance Work! I love, love, love being able to work while I'm home with Lillian. Of course, being a mom, wife and homemaker is priority ONE, but being able to have a career (even just a little one), is so immensely satisfying. Since the start of 2012, I've been working pretty steadily with a handful of clients. I'm doing everything from media coordination to trade show work to press release writing to recipe development and testing. Most days I'm able to squeeze work in during Lilly's naps and after her bedtime. So far, I've been able to strike a pretty good balance. I love the work I'm doing....writing is so much fun and the culinary work is literally my dream come true. The fact that I'm getting paid for this stuff is the icing on the cake. Icing that we're using to pay for an anniversary trip next month to Las Vegas ; )

Feeding Lillian! My daughter is a fantastic eater. At not quite eight months old she eats such a varied and wonderful diet. We've already graduated from "baby food," and moved right into family dinners. She usually eats a slightly modified version of whatever we're eating. If I'm having grilled cheese and homemade tomato soup, I'm cutting up little pieces of sandwich and dipping them in the soup for her. If we're having fish, baked potatoes and sauteed greens for dinner, she's having exactly the same thing...just chopped into small pieces. Tonight we had butternut squash ravioli with squash, apples and spinach. She ate the same thing, I just pureed her veggies and chopped up her raviolis before tossing them together. I absolutely love feeding her. So far, she has been receptive to every new flavor. From pasta to Mexican to Indian food, she's enthusiastically tried it all. 

That said, I'm very conscientious about the types of food we feed her. Obviously no nuts or shellfish or honey at this point. We avoid excess sodium and processed foods and try to use fresh, organic ingredients (especially meats and dairy) whenever possible.  But the challenge has become half the fun. I love coming up with new meal ideas that we can all enjoy together. I love watching her try to pick up food on her own....everything from steamed carrot sticks and apple slices to pieces of chicken to Cheerios. I love sitting at the table as a family when JiT gets home from work. We all eat dinner, catch up on the day and share giggles and silly faces. Its perfect. We're having so much fun, I'm actually starting to think about developing a cookbook based on our experience...but we'll see how things continue. 

Ma Hair! Its finally growing out of the awkward in-between stage. Even though I liked my short hair, I'm looking forward to reclaiming the "old" me once my hair grows out a few inches more.  Already I can get it into a ponytail. Even better, I recently discovered John Frieda 3-Day Straight spray. This stuff is awesome. You're supposed to use it with a flat-iron...and when you do you end up with super-straight hair that lasts way longer and requires less time and futzing to look nice. It makes the whole hair styling process so much easier. But I've found that even if I just use the spray and blow my hair dry (no straightener) it still looks decent in way, way less time that I would normally have to spend to make my hair look presentable. I know it seems like a minor thing but time alone is such a premium at this point that I'd pretty much given up on trying to make my hair look nice unless there was a special occasion. Now, even on weekdays, if Lillian takes a nap I can usually shower and blow dry my hair with plenty of time left for housework or freelance projects. And when I look in the mirror I feel a little bit more like a human being and less like a bum. Its a nice feeling. (Oh, and I wasn't paid or perked for mentioning this stuff, I just really, really like it). 

  

Valentine's Day Fun (with 16 babies)

 Happy Valentine's Day from Lillian and all of her friends. We had a very special holiday play group at our house this morning.....and had 16 babies join us! Babies from 8 weeks to 18 months...walkers, crawlers, snugglers. It was BabyPaLooza around here! But what fun.

Since we scheduled the party between naps we served a light lunch of homemade tomato soup and heart-shaped toasted cheese sandwiches (a big favorite with the "first foods" crowd).

We rounded it out with homemade whoopie pies (made using my client Cuisipro's mini ice cream sandwich maker), and chocolate marshmallow cake pops. Someone brought heart shaped donuts, which were another festive addition and I also made a super simple snack mix that I found absolutely addictive.

It was a really fun group and everyone seemed thoroughly tuckered out for afternoon naps (Lilly didn't even make it to the end of the party). Sadly, I didn't get a chance to snap many pics of the action and the ones I got were pretty dreadful, but the babies were SO, SO cute! They're really the best Valentine anyone could ask for.  : )

That said, if you're looking for an extremely simple, last-minute addition to a Valentine's Day party, I recommend this addictive snack mix:

Sweet & Savory Valentine Snack Mix

1 bag pretzel sticks or rounds
1 bag chocolate Teddy Grahams
1 bag yogurt covered dried cherries
1 bag Valentine's M & Ms

Combine all ingredients in a large, zip-top bag and toss to combine. Pour into a festive bowl and try to control yourself.

Buttermilk Orange Popsicles -- Easy. Low-fat. Yummy.

I can't tell you how often JiT and I turn to each other, long after dinner is done, sometime around 9 pm, usually while we're watching Pawn Stars or some other such mid-week time-waster, and declare: "I'm hungry for something sweet." This isn't the type of craving that needs to be met with decadence. Nothing like chocolate cake or a grand souffle. Just a little something.

Well, if you're anything like us....here's that perfect something. These popsicles are low-fat, insanely easy to prepare and just the perfect sweet, tangy something to close out your day.

I'd originally planned to make these into an ice cream or a granita, simply because we had some extra buttermilk on hand. But then I remembered these adorable little popsicle molds that a new freelance client recently sent to me (to make that clear, Cuisipro is a client). They make a variety of extremely well-designed kitchen products and these popsicle molds are among my favorite. They come in a set that can be linked together in the freezer. So you can use as many of them as you like, in whatever configuration you like. Super smart. And that concludes my pitch for the pops. Seriously though...they're really handy.

So the next time you have 5 minutes in the kitchen and a carton of buttermilk on hand, mix up a batch of these pops. When that 9 pm craving rolls around you'll be VERY glad you did.

Buttermilk Orange Popsicles
Makes 6 popsicles

2 cups low-fat buttermilk
1/3 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a bowl (if possible, one with a pour spout). Stir to dissolve sugar. Pour into popsicle molds and place in freezer for at least 3 hours or until pops are firm.

Enjoy.

From Scratch German Chocolate Cake w/Chocolate Drizzle

German Chocolate Cake

My Brother-in-Law, Chris, was with us for his 40th birthday, so JiT asked that I bake his brother's favorite cake -- German Chocolate (coincidentally its also JiT's favorite cake). I was a tad bit intimidated. I'm not sure I've ever eaten  German Chocolate cake let alone baked one. And I haven't made a cake from scratch since before Lilly arrived. I was feeling rusty to say the least.

But I decided to buck up, buy some cake flour and coconut and get to it. Of course, the entire baking and decorating process had to be timed around bedtimes and naps, so that was exciting. Luckily, the cake batter came together pretty quickly between Lilly's bedtime and our dinnertime. Then Lilly took a monster nap today which gave me enough time to do the coconut/pecan topping as well as a chocolate drizzle to pour over the top.

According to JiT, this is a bit different than the German chocolate cake he had in his head. Not sure where I went astray....he kept referencing some sort of chocolate frosting...but regardless its quite good. The cakes are only slightly chocolatey, which I like versus a super-rich cake. They also have a nice, light crumb. The coconut/pecan filling is sweet and full of rich texture and crunch. The chocolate topping added just a little something extra. All in all, a birthday hit if I say so myself.

And it felt good to bake again....perhaps this will inspire me to pull out my piping tips and get my buttercream on one of these days.

What about you guys...any recent cooking or baking accomplishments that have made you feel a little braver in the kitchen? Any great cake recipes you can recommend I try next?

German Chocolate Cake
Adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

3 eggs
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 oz. milk chocolate
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 recipe coconut pecan frosting (see below)
1 recipe chocolate drizzle (see below)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Separate eggs. Allow egg yolks, whites and butter to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare three 8 x 8" cake pans (or you can use round cake pans; if you don't have 3 pans you can bake two cakes, using more batter in one, and spit the thicker one in half). Line the bottom of each pan with parchment, then grease and flour. Set pans aside.

In a bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Set bowl aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the 8 oz of chocolate with 1/3 cup of water. Warm over low heat until chocolate melts. Whisk until smooth and well combined. Allow to cool.

In the bowl of a mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium high speed until fluffy. Scrape sides of bowl and add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape sides again and add in the chocolate mixture and vanilla. Alternately add the flour and buttermilk in three additions, beating on low speed after each addition.

Using a fresh bowl and wire whisk attachment, beat egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into batter. Spread batter in prepared cake pans.

Bake cakes in oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on wire racks for at least 10 minutes. Gently remove cake layers from pans and allow to continue cooling on wire racks to room temperature.

To finish cake, place one layer of cake on a serving tray. Spread with one third of the coconut frosting mixture. Add another cake layer and another third of the coconut frosting. Add the third cake layer and spread the remaining frosting evenly over the top. Pour chocolate drizzle over the top, allowing to drip off the sides. Cool completely before serving.

Coconut Pecan Frosting

1 egg
1 can evaporated milk
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter

1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans

In a small saucepan, beat egg, evaporated milk, sugar and butter. Place over low heat, cooking and stirring constantly for 6 to 8 minutes or until mixture becomes thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and add coconut and pecans. Cover and cool thoroughly.

Chocolate Drizzle

8 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Combine chocolate and oil in a saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly until chocolate is melted and smooth. If necessary, add a bit more vegetable oil until chocolate reaches the right consistency for drizzling. Pour over cake while warm.