Have a Great Weekend

Let the Halloween festivities begin!  The girls are going to go door-to-door for their first "real" trick or treating experience.  It's yet to be seen if they'll actually wear their fairy (Sienna) and ladybug (Sophie) costumes for more than 5 minutes, but if they do, I'll be sure to post pictures.  Mind you they first modelled and then cried for said costumes until I bought them in TJ Maxx, but a toddler's emotions are hardly rational.

If I were more organized I might have planned a fabulous Halloween Party like socialite Alison Sarofim whose annual bashes included themes like 80s, Surrealism, and Japanese Anime.  But 1) I don't have someone to produce a party like that, and 2) I think hiring shirtless male servers might be a little out of my budget.

Sarofim's "Surrelism" costume



Marjorie Guggelman's vision of "Japanese Anime"

I would also have loved to host the Dia de los Muertos party I mentioned in a previous post.  I'd set up a really cool Altar with neat skulls, lots of flowers, candles, and pictures of people who have passed, and make many toasts to their lives (and after-lives).  Maybe next year......

Dia de los Muertos skull dolls

Enjoy your weekend, and no matter what you have planned make it festive and maybe a little scary!

Love This: Poison Bottle Labels

Having two 2-year-olds limits me to merely planning future grown-up Halloween Parties.  However when I free up to host a real party again, I'll be ordering these Martha Stewart vintage-feel bottle labels from Grandin Road:

http://www.grandinroad.com/jump.jsp?itemType=PRODUCT&itemID=21755

Set of 12 Stickers $9

Day of the Dead

Maybe it's my sliver of Aztec ancestestry, but I think Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is fascinating. This blogger http://whippedtheblog.com/2010/10/25/host-a-last-minute-day-of-the-dead-party/

suggested having a Day of the Dead themed Party. The idea is you set up a festive altar and everyone comes with pictures of friends, families, maybe even celebritites that they want to honor, you create one big altar, play festive Latin music, dance, and eat Latin food like guacamole and tamales. I'm definitely doing this someday!

When the Spanish conquered the Aztecs, it was an indigenous ritual, and typical to most conquerors they tried unsuccessfully to stop it.  Unlike the Spaniards, who viewed death as the end of life, the natives viewed it as the continuation of life. Instead of fearing death, the Aztecs embraced it. To them, life was a dream and only in death did they become truly awake. Hmmmmmmmmmmm, wouldn't that be interesting?

To make the ritual more Christian, the Spaniards moved it to coincide with All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (Nov. 1 and 2).

Different Dia de los Muertos traditions include visiting the cemetery where their loved ones are buried, decorating gravesites, bringing toys for dead children and liquor to adults. They sit on picnic blankets next to gravesites and eat the favorite food of their loved ones.  Families also build altars in their homes, dedicating them to the dead by surrounding the altars with flowers, food, pictures of the deceased, and

lit candles.

The store Nomad which is just blocks away from my home sells everything you'd need for your Day of the Dead decor.  From $2.80 Candy Skulls to $500 Haitian Voodoo Skulls.  http://www.nomadcambridge.com/dod.htm

Deceptively Delicious

Do Chocolate Chip Cookies with hidden chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) sound a bit odd to you?  They did to me too, but when I saw the scrumptious photo in Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook Deceptively Delicious, I thought it was worth a try.  A friend gave me the book a little over a month ago, and I've pulled it out for ideas to get my little non-eaters to eat.  Seinfeld's strategy is to secretly add purees of vegetables to kid's favorite dishes: think meatballs with butternut squash hidden inside, or scrambled eggs with cauliflower puree. 

Truth be told, I'm a very inconsistent cook, so for these cookies to be a hit (my husband said they may be the best he's ever tried), the recipe must be foolproof.  Did I mention that my twins helped bake them?  This added a whole other opportunity for error.

The cookies are light and fluffy, which isn't what I typically like (I prefer sugary and crispy), but I do think they're very good, more filling than a trypical cookie, and actually have some nutritional value.  Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
nonstick cooking spray
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 c trans fat-free soft tub margarine
2 large egg whites
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 cup ap flour
1/2 cup oats
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the sugar and margarine with a wooden spoon or on medium speed until smooth. Beat in the egg whites and vanilla, then the chickpeas and chocolate chips. Add the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt, and mix on low speed until a thick dough forms.

3. Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto the baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart. Press gently with a fork to flatten. Bake until the cookies are golden brown and just set, 11 - 13 minutes; do not overbake. Transfer to a rack to cool.

4. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Happy & Healthy Eating!

2-years-old, Now What?

Birthday Fun

 My twins celebrated their second birthday over a month ago and I'm only writing about it now. Nice mom, huh? They celebrated with a birthday luau which really consisted of Hawaiian themed paper goods, a borrowed Bounce House, and their closest little friends, my friends, and a handful of relatives. They had an amazing time, and we had a beautiful day and last hurrah in our old, gigantic yard. My preparation was a lot less extensive than birthday #1's birthday festivities that included gorgeous mailed invites, rented tables linens, teddy bear centerpieces, 2 hams, a turkey, pizza, pasta, etc. You get the idea. If it weren't for a friend's good sense, and great photography skills, we wouldn't even have a single photo to remember this year's event.

No more binky for you.

 Last week marked the completion of their immunization schedule, and a nice visit with their kind pediatrician who informed us at the girls were in the 95% for height and 5% for weight, but that "they look wonderful"(the greatest words to hear from a doctor). He also said that I need to get rid of their pacifiers except for nighttime sleeping. This will be challenging since my girls love their "b" (short for "bebe" their word for binky).

He also said it was normal that they're completely obsessed with one friend (Maya) who they wake up crying for, ask for incessantly, and call all other girls regardless of the child's actual name.

He said Sophie's separation anxiety is normal since we just had a big move, and that their hair-pulling and biting, and all other bad behavior of others should be dealt with by removing them from the situation, not by words. Done.

He said I could think about school, if I need a break (which I do, but that's another post), but that they don't really need it this year. Okay, that'll save us anywhere from $3k to $18k per kid. Sounds good to me.

The kind doctor also informed us that more than 2 hours of TV watching a day is no good. No kidding, but would he (or anyone) like to entertain my children for the 12 hours a day they're awake? I know full well they watch too much television, even though I'm a pretty active and involved mom. We go to the park one or more times a day, the library 1-2 times a week, and today we went to the Museum of Science. We visit friends, read, color, paint, play with Play Doh, drum, sing, and play with dolls. We change our clothes about five times a day and that doesn't even include actually playing "dress up. However, that takes up about half the day. Does anyone have any better ideas because I could use some. 

No more binkies or TV, what's a 2-year-old (or her mother) to do?  No wonder they call it the terrible 2's, I think we have some tough days ahead of us.

"Mommy Time" is good for everyone

(l-r) Sienna, Grandma Bruna, and Sophie

Last Saturday my wonderful husband gave me the day off.  He took our twins to visit their grandma in Cape Cod, which left me with 6.5 hours to do whatever I wanted.  What I did with my time is somewhat mundane (yoga class, shopping downtown, dry cleaning, lunch, shower, and housecleaning), but it felt like he'd taken them away for a week.  It wasn't until he sent me this photo of the girls, pants rolled up, walking on the beach with his mother that I realized that this day-cation was a great thing for all of us, not just me.

I'm not trying to make y'all jealous, but the day trip was followed by hugs and kisses from girls, and then a date night with my husband and some great friends.  Did I hit the lottery?

Live What You Love

I saw this on an interior designer's blog fairly recently, and decided that I should get it.  The desinger was having a "yellow" moment, but I like the message.  What do you think? 

The site MadebyGirl.com has some other cool prints, cards, and silkscreens at very reasonable prices. http://www.madebygirl.com/http://www.madebygirl.com/

Panzanella Salad, yummmmmm

If you've read my blog then you're fully aware of my unwavering admiration for Barefoot Contessa recipes.  In all honestly, I only cook the easy ones, and here's one of my all time faves: Panzanella Salad.  What's not to like about a salad that doesn't have a single leaf of lettuce, but instead uses baguette? As of last Saturday, many of these ingredientswere available at our farmer's market, so stock up on the ingredients tomorrow, and have yourself a rustic yet fabulous dinner tomorrow night.  It scarcely matters if you don't have all the ingredients, which works for me since I always forget something.  I also have served it with a herb-marinated pork loin (also Ina's recipe), and I'll include that recipe as well.  Bon appetit!

PANZANELLA

Ingredients:

Good olive oil
1 small French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
Kosher salt
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 red bell pepper, large diced
1 yellow bell pepper, large diced
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, sliced in half rounds
1/2 pound feta cheese, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup calamata olives, pitted
For the vinaigrette:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup good red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good olive oil


Directions
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread cubes and sprinkle with salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 5 to 10 minutes, until nicely browned. Add more olive oil as needed.


Place the cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, tomatoes and red onion in a large bowl.
For the vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper in a small bowl. While still whisking, add the olive oil and make an emulsion. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables. Add the feta, olives and bread cubes and mix together lightly. Set aside for 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.

HERB-MARINATED PORK LOINS
Ingredients:
1 lemon, zest grated
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 to 6 lemons)
Good olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Kosher salt
3 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each)
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, mustard, and 2 teaspoons salt in a sturdy 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the pork tenderloins and turn to coat with the marinade. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.


Remove the tenderloins from the marinade and discard the marinade but leave the herbs that cling to the meat. Sprinkle the tenderloins generously with salt and pepper. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large oven-proof saute pan over medium-high heat. Sear the pork tenderloins on all sides until golden brown. Place the saute pan in the oven and roast the tenderloins for 10 to 15 minutes or until the meat registers 137 degrees F at the thickest part. Transfer the tenderloins to a platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Carve in 1/2-inch-thick diagonal slices. The thickest part of the tenderloin will be quite pink (it's just fine!) and the thinnest part will be well done. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm, or at room temperature with the juices that collect in the platter.
Clearly if you're on a diet, you may want to save these recipes (esp. the Panzanella) for another time.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/greek-panzanella-recipe/index.html
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/herb-marinated-pork-tenderloins-recipe/index.html