A Spicy Visit

My Madre is here for a visit. YAY!! I was a bit on the nervous side before she arrived. My laundry room was a ginormous pile of dirty clothes and linens, the house was still a mess from vacation, and there was no power.

A crazy storm that lasted all of 15 minutes, but caused major damage in the D.C. metro area, knocked our power out for 23 hours. It's a good thing Otterpop's sister lives near us. And has an extra fridge. And likes us enough to say we could haul ourselves and the food filling our fridge/freezer to their house. It seriously saved us.

We survived. And now Madre is here. Although she lives in Arizona, she isn't too interested in sight seeing when she visits. That's not to say she doesn't enjoy doing and seeing new things. She is truly here to visit and enjoy my cute little family. I love that.

Yesterday we took her to the farm where we picked green beans, peaches, and blackberries. It reminded us both of our days living in Idaho when Madre would wake everyone at he crack of dawn to pick beans so she could can them the same day. She really is the epitome of self sufficiency.

We made and canned salsa. From produce grown in our little, tiny backyard garden. With the exception of the vinegar and salt, all ingredients were home grown. The grand total yield was FOUR whole pints. I know...a lot of work for not a whole lot of salsa. But still, I felt so...pioneer-ey. And doesn't it look delish?

For Friday's agenda? I'm taking Madre and the girls to the Museum of National History. My mom has been known to make some pretty amazing quilts, and I really think she would enjoy seeing the quilt exhibit. We might even try to take a peak at the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, too. It should be great fun.

P.S. Funny, random story...Sweet Cheeks doesn't remember saying goodbye to her daddy this morning before he left for work. She was just too sleepy. The conversation we had was pretty funny because she swears it didn't happen.

It reminded me of the time I was recovering from anesthesia after I had scope done to see if I was Celiac. Otterpop decided to take full advantage of my state of mind and went to Red Lobster (he's a sucker for sea food, even if we were in Utah many, many miles away from the ocean).

To make a long story short, apparently while the server was taking our order I decided to use him as a head rest. I have no recollection of this, but Otterpop swears up and down it happened.

Poor dude. I'm probably one of the nightmare stories he tells when conversations about the worst jobs ever come up. Sweet.

Into the Woods

I promise my interest in this blogging thing isn't already fizzling out. The fam took a little excursion to Upstate New York, via NYC to pick up Auntie Lester. I've been offline, unplugged, and out of order - so to speak. Maybe that's why this post is so long. Hey, at least I'm giving you fair warning.

The original idea was to go to Palmyra for the annual Hill Cumorah Pageant. (For those reading this who are not members of the LDS church, Palmyra is where the church was founded. Every year there is a show on the Hill Cumorah acting out the major stories of the Book of Mormon. Learn more here if you're interested.)

Rather than doing only the church history tour thing, we decided to camp at Lake Cayuga and do the Finger Lakes thing, taking an afternoon and evening to visit Palmyra (which, by the way, was plenty). And since we were up there anyway, we thought may as well go to Niagara Falls. 'Cause, hey, it's just two hours away and when will be up there again? Seriously. Two. Hours. Each. Way. It ended up being a long drive out of our way, but well worth it. The falls are AMAZING!

Camping was great fun. The girls did really well, Ott got to play with fire, and we had Auntie Lester time. Here is a collage to document the festivities.

My dad has mad Dutch Oven cooking skill. I've done it a few times, but not so much in years. To keep it easy, we make a stew. Unfortunately I don't have a picture, but rest assured, I did my dad proud. Here's the recipe.

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Dutch Oven Beef Stew
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion chopped into large pieces
1 clove garlic
1 Lb Beef Chunks
2 cups broth
2 cups water
Potatoes cut into large chunks
Carrots sliced
Salt
Pepper
Italian Seasoning
Paprika

Start a fire with several charcoal briquettes in the center of the wood pile. It will take about 45 minutes before the coals are ready. They are ready when white and orange in color.

Heat the dutch oven over the fire until hot. Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil. Add beef chunks and brown with spices. Add the broth, potatoes and carrots. Add water as needed. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are soft. If you prefer a thicker broth, mix some corn starch in a bowl with water and slowly add to the stew.

After the stew is boiling, stir the fire to get out some of the coals and help bring the fire down. Place about 8 coals on the lid. Cook this way for 20-30 minutes.

Super simple.

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To top off a great trip, we came home to a 20 lb box of blueberries from an Amish farm in PA. (THANK YOU CYNTHIA, if you read this). Here come the pies, muffins, cobbler, smoothies, syrup, jam, and anything else I can think of to do with these berries.

Stay tuned.

P.S. We stayed overnight in NYC to pick up my sister, but to also break up the trip a bit. Lucky for me, there was a Mates of State show in Brooklyn and my sister had an extra ticket! They are fabulous. Check this out.

Happy Birthday, My Sweet Addie-Cakes

Addie-Cakes is two today. Where did the time go?

I never understood why parents always lamented about how fast their kids grow, when it felt like it was taking forever to finally get out of the miserable place they call Junior High.

Now I get it. Otterpop travels a lot, and I always make fun of him when he says that the girls have grown so much in just a week. But after my weekend in NYC I saw what he meant. My baby is becoming a little girl.

It seems like just yesterday we brought her home. Yet it seems like she has always been with us. I had a really, really hard time getting her here. But I would do it all again in a heart beat. Life certainly wouldn't be the same without her.

c leslie run

I am a runner. But I wouldn't be without my sister Leslie (often referred to as Auntie Lesler). All because a few years back she convinced me that I needed to run a half-marathon with her.

I finished the 13.1 miles and was hooked. Fast forward a few years and she was determined that the two of us should run a full marathon. So last fall we completed the 2009 Marine Corps Marathon together.

Being a New Yorker, she is now determined to run the ING New York City Marathon. Cool, right? The problem is, something like 50k people are turned away. Every. Year. And it's not like this is a small race. There are about 40-50K people that actually run it.

It's the biggest marathon in the world, and if you aren't lucky enough to win the lottery (literally - it's a lottery to get in) you have to try again. Or run for charity. Which is what she's doing.

And here it is...I'm asking you to help my sister run the New York City Marathon.

Like many of you, we have had friends and family battle cancer. We've seen the awful impact it has not only on the patient, but also the families trying to help that patient survive.

Leslie is running for Team Continuum, a non-profit organization dedicated to taking care of anyone involved in fighting cancer. It provides assistance to patients and their families by filling the physical and emotional gaps of support so the patients can have the strength to focus on their treatment.

So, I'm asking you to give your support. Not only to my sister who deserves to run this race, but to the cancer patients and their families that need the support to fight for their lives.

Every little bit helps. Donate today!

Vampires, Warewolves and an Unhealthy Obsession...not mine, of course.

Last night a group of the ladies went to see Eclipse. It was great fun, and I definitely needed a GNO.

But now I can't get a thought out of my mind: What on earth is it about the Twilight series that drives people so crazy?

Well, I shouldn't say "people". Girls, really. Of all ages. Because, although the "girls" in question here might be in the over 30 demographic, the obsession and ensuing behavior qualifies them as girls.

Don't think I sit so high on my horse as to exclude myself from the obsession. My poor family lost their wife/mom while I devoured the books. Twice. And read Midnight Sun as well as the outtakes on Stephenie Meyer's website. It's embarrassing to admit. I was a Twi-mom for a while. At least I didn't get into the way obsessed online community like some do. And I'm recovered.

For a glimpse into the poor husbands of a Twi-mom deal with, watch Shallow Day's highly entertaining video: "TWILIGHT (what have you done to my wife)".

A while back I came across a hilarious blog, Normal Mormon Husbands, that has several posts dedicated to Twilight - not to mention the fact that many of his posts reference Twilight in one way or another.

Much to his credit, the author has read every single Twilight book, as well as Midnight Sun. He hasn't just dismissed the phenomenon with a shrug and roll of the eyes. He earnestly addresses the issues surrounding this obsession with posts like "The Cold Truth About Edward", "Midnight Sun: Edward a Woman?", "Twilight for Dummies (& Guys) and the gem of the batch Edward CAN Fart! (...& more!)".

I guess people just crave an escape from the doldrums of life. Especially when you're changing diapers, wiping noses, and cleaning up after other people. All day. Everyday. And teenage girls are just a ball of hormones fantasizing of Mr. Perfect. So I suppose they are excused.

As for me, I have learned at least one lesson from my own Twilight obsession: escaping in a teen romance is only allowed if you're actually married to someone who resembles one of the dreamy characters in one way or another.

I loves me a brown boy. Go Team Jacob.

A Rare - Yet Fleeting - Treat

The girls are both asleep right now, and it's two o'clock in the afternoon. I don't remember the last time they both napped. Scratch that. In the time it took to start this post, Sweet Cheeks came strolling down the stairs with an oh-so precocious smile on her face. She knows how much I value quiet time.

But that's alright. The 20 minutes of alone time this afternoon were priceless. Both girls have been so tired lately from spending pretty much every morning at the pool.

Sweet Cheeks is doing swim team this summer, hence the morning swimming. I just might have a child prodigy on my hands, being that she's just 4 and already competing. That's right. Give us a decade and we'll be at the Olympics.

Okay, not really. A few of the communities in the area have swim programs for children 6 and under as part of their swim teams. It's essentially swimming lessons with the older swim team members helping the instructors mentor the younger kids.

The cutest thing about it is that there are "mini meets". Very few of the kids can swim the length of the pool, so the mentors help them across. It doesn't matter how they get there, as long as they make it across. It great fun for everyone involved.

Today was the first mini-meet. Her smile says it all. The kids did great and had a fabulous time. With the exception of the heat - well, more so the humidity - the parents had a great time too.

And...all those parent crazies with Olympian aspirations for their children kept it on the D.L. At least I think I did. Oh wait. I just gave myself away.

Breaking the Law

I'm going to come precariously close to violating one of my laws of the blog: spewing diatribe of how I think things should be is NOT allowed.

My super-conservative friends (who are many) need not fear. I'm not going to force my (quasi)liberal political opinions on anyone. Instead...I'm hoping to make everyone think a little bit about what they eat.

I tell myself I'm justified in smudging the line between black and white this one time because I feel so very strong about this particular topic. Food has obviously changed me in many ways. And as I've become more aware of what I put into my body, I am convinced that so many unexplained health problems people in the US experience are a direct result of changes to the way we eat.

I recently finished a book called In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto, by Michael Pollan, that some members from my book group suggested I read. The premise is that the recent departure from the way humans ate for thousands of years is so dramatic that what most people in the US eat can't even be considered food. Rather, we consume edible foodlike substances that attempt (and fail miserably) to replicate real food found in nature. And those substances are making us all very sick.

Pollan doesn't propose any radical ideas as to how we should change our diet. He advocates using our common sense and going back to our roots. Simply put, eating what our great grandparents ate.

Like all behaviors, changing diet can be incredibly difficult. But the thing I loved most about this book is the three rules he gives to help you know what to eat:

Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants.

Not only does he propose that we eat what our great grandparents once did, maybe even more important is HOW they ate. At a table. As a family. Enjoying the food. And each other.

Maybe the reason I loved this book so much is because it validated and gave support for many of the things I already believed. Plus, of course, it taught me a great deal about our part in the food chain, why things are or are not good for us, and the part industry plays in all of this.

I wish I could buy everyone I know a copy. But, even more so, I wish everyone I know and love would really consider what they eat and have the courage to make changes where they are needed.

Maybe I should just start a support group - processed foodies anonymous, or something. Kind of like group therapy. With super healthful treats. But not too much. And mostly plants.

Finding Sustenance in the Big Apple

Finding good food in NYC is like...well, I'm not creative enough to think of a good simile, so I'll use the cliche and say that it's an adventure.

The problem isn't finding good food, it's choosing between the thousands of establishments available on that tiny island. I had done a little research and found a GF bakery I planned on visiting while waiting for Lesler to get off work. Alas my bus was late and things just didn't work out as planned.

Rather than going to one of the many restaurants that advertise as being GF we took a chance on ethnic foods. I find that ethnic foods prepared traditionally without lots of processed ingredients are free of hidden gluten, which really is the most tricky thing about eating GF.

Salvadoran in Uptown
Lesler and I ate at this great Salvadoran restaurant that was super good, super cheap, and completely greasy. It was fabulous eating pupusas, fried enchiladas, and baked rice and beans. If you're interested in learning how to make pupusas go here.

Afghan in East Villiage I already mentioned the amazing Afghan restaurant we went to in the East Village. I wish I could remember what it was that we ate. The flavors were so intricate and full that every bite offered a glimpse of something new. This is a picture of something made with pumpkin and flavored with orange.

Fish Tacos and Mango Salsa in Washington Heights (aka home)

Lesler and I always cook at least one meal at home when I visit. We had planned on making Fish Tacos when we found a recipe for Mango Salsa in a Cooking Light magazine. If that's not serendipity I'm not sure what is.

Here is the recipe. I use the term "recipe" loosely as when I cook I generally pour ingredients until it tastes good, so I'm really not sure of the measurements.

Fish Taco Rub
Tilapia Filets
Paprika
Chili Powder
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Cumin
Salt to taste
Olive Oil
1 Lime juiced

Mix the dry ingredients. Add the olive oil and lime then rub it on the fish. Let fish marinade for a few hours (if you remember, but it's not essential). Cook at medium heat in a skillet or grill.

Mango Salsa
2 Mangos diced
3 Plum Tomatoes seeded and diced
3 Green Onions diced
1/2 cup chopped Cilantro
2 limes (or to taste)
1 tsp Chili Powder More if you want it hotter
Salt to taste

Chop all the ingredients and mix them together. It doesn't get easier than that.

To Serve:
Warm corn tortillas by wrapping them in a dish cloth and putting them in the microwave for 2 minutes. Combine the fish and salsa in the corn tortillas with chopped cabbage.

This is a really mild recipe that doesn't even taste like fish. I'm sure the entire family will enjoy!