Liam has had a loose tooth for the last few weeks, which he has managed to diligently wiggle in regular intervals throughout the day, knowing that somehow, this tooth equates to some sort of monetary “prize.” Casually he questioned me, “mom, why do you have all that money in your mouth?” “What are you talking about?” I responded. ”These things (pointing to my teeth); they’re money.” And as I pictured my son trying to dig or violently pull my (or his own) teeth from their gums to exchange for some random good (or let’s face it, toy), I realized there’s been a massive breakdown in communication. This of course necessitated a conversation informing Liam that in fact, as of right now, teeth are not a valid commodity; I think he was a little disappointed to learn that he had not stumbled upon an oral money tree; however, at the time, he seemed content and thankful enough still to receive any sort of reward in exchange for his “baby teeth.” And much to Liam’s pain and excitement, earlier this week, Burke gave this process a little nudge — with an accidental elbow to Liam’s face. With a little blood and a dangling tooth, only one thing consoled our crying Liam: his prize. He bravely wiggled the dangler a few more times, and out it came. Here’s the victor’s war wound.
Filed under: Food
With it finally getting cooler, nothing hits the spot like a couple of yummy winter soups: black bean soup and baked potato soup. If you’re in a hurry, the first soup will take less time and effort (but beware of gas).
black bean soup
servings: 4 prep time: 5 min. cook time: 10-15 min.
This goes really well with jalapeno quesadillas (chop up a pepper and mix with the cheese) or a nice salad and bread. We always double the recipe; it reheats well for leftovers.
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 2 cups fresh salsa (let your spicy threshold determine the strength)
- 2 (15oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups chicken or veggie broth
- 1 (16oz) can re-fried black beans (really, any bean will work)
- 1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
- 1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped (optional)
Heat the oil in a saucepan or large pot over medium heat. Add the salsa and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes. Add the re-fried beans, black beans, and broth. Bring to a simmer. Cook until warmed through (about 5 min.). After serving into bowls, top with some remaining salsa, sour cream, and/or cilantro. (taken from Real Simple)
baked potato soup
I tripled the recipe on this soup. It reheats really well in a pot — it may even work well in a crock pot. I did hesitate to reheat it in the microwave due to all the cream, but it reheated well on the stove. Eat it with a sturdy bread for dipping (and any other side). It’s really filling. For a vegetarian-friendly soup, omit the bacon, and use olive oil instead of drippings. HINT: The smaller you cut the potatoes, the faster they will cook in the soup.
servings: 12 prep time: 20 min. cook time: 20-30 min.
- 9 bacon strips, diced
- 3 small onions, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup and a Tbsp. of all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp. salt
- 1 Tbsp. dried basil
- 1 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 9 cups chicken or veggie broth
- 6 large baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 3 cups half-and-half
- 1 1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce
- shredded cheddar
- minced fresh parsley
In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Drain, and reserve 2-3 Tbsp. of the drippings. Set the bacon aside. In a large pot, saute onion and garlic in the drippings until tender. Stir in flour, salt, basil, and pepper. Mix really well. Gradually add the broth. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for a few minutes. Add the potatoes, cream, and hot pepper sauce. Heat through, but do not boil. Continue heating until the potatoes are the consistency that you desire. Serve and garnish with bacon, cheese, and parsley.
Like most preschool boys, our boys love building microcosms in order to escape, even if only figuratively. Well, today, after realizing our home’s extended period of silence (Blythe was napping), I decided to go and peek in on Liam and Burke; this is what I discovered. Although at first glance I was caught off guard by their relaxed presence amongst an apparent tomb of death, Liam quickly clarified these were merely their “pets.”
The last few weeks I’ve watched Blythe remove herself from varied activities to go sit down against a wall or in a random corner, only to declare, “I in time-out.” I’ve laughed to myself each time wondering what compels her to such an extreme (an extreme most toddlers loathe). However, when reconsidering her circumspect behavior, I realized there’s something for me to learn. I remember my mom at times locking herself in her bathroom “for privacy.” As children, we didn’t think much of it — only that it took grown-ups a lot longer to do their business – but they’re bigger, so somehow, it just made sense. Now I realize, she wasn’t going to the bathroom; she was having a self-imposed-time-out. It seems I have far underestimated this pregnancy in thinking I could maintain my “normal” lifestyle, the pace of it anyway. Apparently having that extra year of hiatus from being pregnant or nursing completely mislead me with my clear-thinking, energy, and orderly living. While other babies feed on placenta-provided nutrients, I’m convinced our little Olive eats mostly creativity and critical reasoning — the only ”excuse” for the loss of my own. I know it’s temporary. Oh, (in case you missed it) during the last month, while I temporarily departed from the blogging world, we decided to name our new daughter Olive. “Peace.” Mark and I love the imagery of the olive branch throughout Scripture. No middle name yet.
I had the epiphany yesterday that it was November — the middle of it. We have been busy with all sorts of random and ordinary things this last month, one of them being my 30th birthday. I’ll post pictures soon. I’ve also been reading several intriguing/insightful books, some of which I’ll be sure to “report on” when I’m finished. Meanwhile, the kids have been doing everything from learning to read to playing with friends to painting to fighting to wrestling to putting gum in their hair; here’s a typical day of dancing in the living room without their shirts
