Countdown Christmas

Let the countdown begin! 25 days until Christmas, starting tomorrow. The countdown to Disney was such a hit, I decided to up the challenge on my craftiness and make an Advent calendar out of felt. I saw an idea in a popular store magazine and decided "hey, I can do that!" so I did. I'm actually pretty happy with the results, given that I had all the accessories to make the embellishments in my sewing kit, Sophia's crafts, and leftover odds and ends from party stuff. Oh, and my trusty glue gun! My sister in law sent me some ideas for the days, which I mixed up with some days including activities and some days including chocolate kisses. I started to panic thinking that I'd have to commit to 25 days of activities that I know Sophia would absolutely hold me accountable to, so I threw in a chocolate reprieve here and there. Here's what I came up with for Sophia's activities (not in any particular order:

• Hang wreath outside


• Make reindeer food for Santa’s reindeers


• Pick out Christmas tree and decorate


• Drive around to see holiday lights


• Make sugar cookies and decorate


• Paint nails red


• Make bird feeder out of pine cone


• Watch Christmas TV special


• Take picture with Santa


• Write letter to Santa


• Make paper snowflakes


• Decorate cards for teachers at school


• Read Christmas book


• Starbucks for hot chocolate and treat


• Gingerbread house project

Grandma's girls

Fall flavors

Mushroom Pate
I got the hankering for some Fall foods last week. We had gone to a dinner party, and I had wanted to contribute something. I started to think about something light yet satisfying, and wanted it to taste like autumn. Mushrooms. I flipped through some ideas in my cookbooks, went online to Food Network for some inspiration, and settled on a mushroom pate posted from Emeril's recipe. But I don't follow recipes, so if you do then I think Emeril's looks great. If you want some inspiration to make your own concoction, here's what I did. I soaked 1 package of dried porcini mushrooms and 1 package of dried crimini mushrooms until tender. Reserve the mushroom broth, after draining out any sand or dirt. Put a large saute pan (any deep, wide pot would work) on medium high and added 2tablespoons of butter, 1 large shallot and 1 clove of garlic to saute. I added to my Cuisinart in batches the following: 2 prewrapped packages mini-bellos, 2 prewrapped packages button mushrooms, 4 portobello mushrooms, and then the reconstituted dried mushrooms. Blend until finely chopped, and then add to the saute pan. I added 1 heaping teaspoon of thyme after the mushrooms had cooked for a few minutes, and salt and pepper to taste at this point. Saute until very well cooked, about 10-15 minutes on med. high. Add some reserved broth if they don't give off a lot of juices on their own. Add 2 heaping tablespoons of cream cheese and mix well. I think Emeril's recipe used goat cheese, but I didn't want any competing flavors. At this point, I added everything back to the Cuisinart and blended until it reached a "pate" texture. It didn't look pretty, but I loved the intense mushroom flavor from the porcini. For extra decadence, drizzle truffle oil over before serving. I served on toasted crostini.

Mushroom Ravioli
We had lots of leftover mushroom pate and I didn't want it to go to waste, so I used it for filling in a ravioli. I added 1/2 cup of grated parm cheese to the 2 cups of filling. I set up the flat pasta dough attachment to the Kitchen Aid, only to discover it must have broke during our last ravioli marathon. So I hand rolled the dough for the ravioli, not something I was too happy about adding another step. Sophia helped make the dough and knead it.
I used the simple pasta dough recipe in Joy of Cooking, and found it to be a better texture than the recipe we use from the Kitchen Aid cookbook. I made a very light cream sauce with sage that Sophia picked (sage was her idea, my little chef in the making) from the herb garden, and also added some lemon zest to brighten up the flavors. I was thinking I could have made something similar except in lasagna form next time, maybe add a ricotta layer and spinach.

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Pumpkin Pie
We had 7 pumpkins from our garden this year, so I had to do something with at least one of them. Sophia wanted pumpkin seeds, and I decided to roast the flesh for pumpkin pie, maybe use some of the leftover flesh for Ava to eat. I don't typically bake, so pumpkin pie from scratch was a learning experience. Next time, I will let the pulp drain overnight. It was too runny straight from the blender. The leftover flesh that I cubed and stored in the fridge overnight had a lot of excess moisture, so lesson learned there. However, the pumpkin pie had a good flavor, just not the texture I was used to. I see why the canned pumpkin is so popular.

Pumpkin Risotto
I had at least 5 more cups of pureed pumpkin, so I made a risotto, using 1 cup of the puree that I added to the chicken broth. I also added some of the Cocoa Spice Rub from Napa Style at the last minute, which gave it a sweet savory taste. This would make a mean rice pudding with some heavy cream, hold the onion.

Giving thanks

I could probably copy and paste what I wrote last year with a few additions and notations. I find that this time of year may be more difficult than last year. Last year I was still riding high on adrenaline, hormones, and sheer will to survive the whole chaos of Ava in the NICU and my Mom's ailments and hospital stay. We were sure a messed up sort. So many parts of this time last year are a blur, or lost completely. We somehow managed to drive up to my Mom's before her surgery to celebrate an early Thanksgiving dinner, unsure if that would literally be her last meal or if she would be able to avoid the colostomy. Everything I did was centered around visits to Ava at the NICU, a constant feeling of being pulled in the wrong direction, needing to be with Ava and needing to be with Sophia, not being able to place myself in two places at the same time (or 3 places, when I nervously waited for a phone call to find out how my Mom's surgery went).
Thank goodness for pictures of Sophia, or this last year would have felt like I completely missed how quickly her hair grew, how her faced thinned out from toddler to preschooler. I get angry that almost an entire year feels robbed of enjoying Sophia grow during that time. And then I get angry at myself for feeling that way, because it all could have been worse. And I remind myself how thankful I truly am for all of the support we had, the people that helped with Sophia so that I could spend time with Ava, to heal from surgery, to just focus on what had to be done then.
It may be awhile before I get around to individually thanking everyone for their donations to Cincinnati Children's hospital. I want to properly thank everyone, and while the holidays are so busy I am afraid it may get lost in the shuffle. So this is my temporary place card to you. And while I was focused of the memory of Julia, some of you reminded me that Ava is to be honored, too. It was a delightful surprise to read those donations in Ava's name as well. She is such an honor to all of us. Her spirit is so big, it feels like it's just bursting out of her in the form of determination and will (my aching back and toned biceps are proof to it).
A big THANK YOU for all of your continued support, and for sharing this journey with me.

Dinner for Grandpa

My grandpa Lee turned 91 last week. I can tell you many moments of awesomeness from this man. He is inspiring. He grew up dirt poor, without even the bare necessities. He had to hunt for his food. He worked for "old man Coors" in Colorado. He was a fighter pilot in WWII, and to this day when questioned about driving, he'll give a curt "I was a fighter pilot, so don't tell me how to drive." He logs everything in his journal. He can tell you how much electricity they used in the house in 1982, or how long it to him to walk 4 miles yesterday--up to the very last second. When he retired, he didn't slow down. He always has a list of projects, and a schedule that he keeps each day. He still has his office, as I imagine it looks similar to how his office looked at work. I remember when I was younger, probably 10 years old, maybe I had stayed the night or our family was over for the day. Anyway, I knocked on the ajar door and there he was behind his desk, reading the paper. He looked over the top of his bifocals and said, "Come in Cara, have a seat," as he gestured to the chair opposite of his on the other side of the desk. "What can I do for you?" I imagine this is the same reaction he'd give one of the employees under his charge. He is a simple man. Never complains, never fusses. He is stubborn. He has endless love and patience for his grandchildren and great grandchildren. We all look up to him.

When we were little, Sunday drives were common. We would often include my grandparents, the endpoint being dinner at a restaurant. The first time I saw a rack of lamb was one they ordered after a day trip to Capitola. It came to the table with those funny hats on each end of the bone, and mint jelly on the side. It was the oddest thing to see, from the eyes of a young child. So last night, I decided to make rack of lamb. I didn't use those funny caps, but I did include mint jelly. I started the meal with fennel and onion soup, served with mushroom pate on toasted baguette. Our salad was of mixed greens with goat cheese, glazed walnuts and dried cranberries, with a simple lemon vinaigrette. The lamb chops were served with roasted root vegetables. I made a mud pie for dessert. We had a great time talking about the past, about the present, and just being goofy with Sophia and Ava. It's rare to enjoy time with only my grandparents these days. Its typically the big events that bring us together, among the chaos of large crowds and chasing children. We don't really get the chance to have relaxing conversation. Last night delivered, and it was awesome, just like my grandpa Lee.

Tis the season for colds

Sophia and Ava didn't wait long to welcome the cold and flu season. This is probably what prompted my "Do you ever..." post the other day. It's been, um, challenging to say the least, around here. It's not really the cold symptoms that is the challenge. Well, besides Ava. It's really hard to get that thick snot wiped up or sucked out (yuck, just writing "sucked out" makes me gag). Ava is superhuman strong when she puts up a fight, so I guess she is physically challenging. Sophia is mentally challenging. She is not the type to lay back and watch TV when sick. I think a cold actually gives her more energy. Makes for a really bad situation when cooped up in the house. I've discovered that Ava also doesn't let a cold slow her down, and she is the "get out and about" type of girl. There is no getting out and about now that the weather has turned downright cold (add rain to today's forecast). I'm beyond the creative, "I've got an idea for a project!" and moved into the brooding, "I may need to call Super Nanny if I have to take one more day of this" stage. Good thing both girls had an awesome night of sleep last night. The human spirit is so amazing that just one night of good sleep completely wiped out the desperation of the last entire week of piggyback wakefulness between Ava and Sophia, including the hacking cough that kept me awake, in tuned to their fight to breathe. Oh, and I had the flu the week before so I guess that would be almost two weeks of very little sleep. But last night was awesome. And this morning was amazingly calm and whine free. So we are turning a corner here, in the house of sickness. Only to be reminded that this is just the beginning and the fact that it's Sophia's first year surrounded by classmates, that maybe I should stock up on tea and coffee for the long winter haul.

Do you ever...

• Avoid eye contact with your child while they are playing happily by themselves in fear that they'll notice you made eye contact and then immediately start screaming for attention?


• Say no to a messy project or play dough for the day of and next day following mopping your floors?


• Base your menu around how clean your kitchen is or what your kid is wearing because you just don't want to change those clothes or bust out the vacuum or broom to clean up after?

In the chill of the night...

She arrives just in time! Spider Girl, Spider Girl; friendly neighborhood Spider Girl.
Sophia was the fearless super hero until we happened upon a haunted house, complete with zombies. Then she jumped into daddy's arms and announced that trick-or-treating was over. She wanted nothing to do with anything after those zombies. In the car on the way to Noni's, Sophia proclaimed that she no longer liked Halloween. I think her aunts managed to change her mind once at Noni's house. It was the nightmare before Christmas over there, complete with much loot and goodies. Glad to have left Noni's until last, hopefully giving her a happy ending after the fright.

Ava was as snug as strawberry in a strawberry patch. I feel redeemed after having failed with Sophia's first Halloween costume, in which she absolutely refused to wear the bunny outfit. Ava was very compliant, and didn't even bother trying to take off the hat.

I, on the other hand, feel like Halloween is a bit cursed for me. I woke up that morning with the flu. Oh, I powered through it all. No way I was going to let some body aches and weakness mess up my Halloween. But come on, can I just have one year where I am completely whole in body and spirit? Last year I was recovering from the c-section, having just been released from the hospital the day before. The year before, I had just found out I was pregnant on Halloween, which ended in an ectopic pregnancy. The year before that, I was pregnant which resulted in a miscarriage. The year before that, I was pregnant with Sophia which was very exciting and also not so much fun to be pregnant on Halloween. So needless to say, I was determined to make this year very un-reproductively focused, even though my right ovary might as well have had a neon sign with "Open for Business" and huge blinking arrows pointing to it, ovulation was that obvious a few days ago. Which seriously, if I were a glutton for punishment, probably would have meant I'd have implanted on Halloween. So NO THANK YOU this year, I wanted to enjoy both my daughter's Halloween stress free. And along came the flu, because apparently something had to mark the occassion. So next year? Next year better be pretty damn spectacular or I may have to change my mind about it being my most favorite holiday.