Speaking of "Magic..."

When in the world did the word "please" become magic??? I don't know about you, but to me, "Please" and "Thank You" are key words in civilized society...a society that is sometimes forgotten and fantasy and "magic" come to call in its place. Good manners, humility and graciousness are not magic, they are essential.

What's the magic age?

So much of what we do is decided for us, like the age you can start driving (15 with a permit, 16 with a license...at least on the tundra, but not a farm), buy cigarettes, vote, join the military, drink (at least legally), and get a better insurance rate...but what about other things? Being a girl I think of wearing make-up, dating and getting your ears pierced.

When I was young I was in dance, shocker, I know. Make-up was no big deal as you got to get "dolled-up" for recitals. I don't recall ever being told that I could not date until I was X age,* but ears pierced...here's where an age came for me. I had to be 13. Why 13? I have no idea.**

Why do I bring this up? What made me start thinking about this? This morning, at 4:40 AM our soon-to-be granddaughter*** was dropped off on her mom's (C) way to work. Half asleep she hands me a bottle of stuff to clean GD's ears and said that GD had been begging for them, and C was having a weak moment, and that she knew that CiBaby couldn't have them. That snapped me awake. Not so much the part about CiBaby not being able to get them, 'cause if she wants her ear(s)**** pierced, in time, be my guest...but the age. I know culturally things are all over the map, but my question became...what is the magic age? 13? Younger? Older? It just had me thinking...What age will we choose to make the magic age?

*I know some people have that rule. Heck, CiBaby isn't going to date until she's at least 25...if I have my way.
**I'll have to ask G-Mama and Bopa, maybe they have an answer, or maybe they just thought it sounded good.
***That's a blog post for another day!
****Prosthetic ears, if we/she decides to go that route, can be pierced as well. They really are a thing of art!

Lying gets you nowhere

Even in retail.

As most of you know, I am a GAP Girl. It's just a part-time gig, but I really like it.* My favorite roll is in the fitting rooms, where you will find me most of the time. Making sure that what people are trying 1. fits correctly and 2. looks good on them. If you ask me my opinion (or sometimes you don't even have to ask me to get it) I will always be truthful.

Last night was no exception. A postpartum mom was in looking for a dress. The one she chose had a v-neck, vertical stripe and empire waist. She asked me my opinion and I told her. She looked great! Of course she was unsure as she was self conscious, she even said so. Then another customer came out and complimented her. She was convinced. I jokingly told her I wouldn't lie to a new mom...way too many hormones! And then there were the ladies and jeans. Who doesn't hate looking for new jeans? Men, maybe. I was so excited when I was able to find a pair for a woman who apparently can never find jeans to fit right, and two others that needed help sizing so they looked great. People, it's my job to make you look good!

I suppose I could lie and say something looks good when it doesn't really, but where does that get me in the end? Maybe more sales right then, possibly, but when someone realizes that something doesn't fit correctly and they hate it (or don't love it but were talked into it) they won't be repeat customers and if they do actually return why would they believe us? I know I wouldn't. And frankly, I don't want angry customers randomly coming up to me in the mall cursing me for making them look like crap.

So...if you want some real help and an honest opinion, come and find me. Who knows...I may even tell you to try another store!

*Except for picking up after the slobs who leave things all over the dressing rooms. Seriously people?!? That's just plain rude.

Could you make...?

I love those 3 words. It's a challenge, like "What can you create with minimal time and without having to buy a king's ransom at the grocery store? Huh? Huh?!?"

A friend recently threw a birthday party for her husband and requested a lettuce salad. With a quick dig through my deep freezer*, and my brain, I came up with the following salad recipe. Of course when I told her what I was making she said, "Oh, I was just thinking lettuce, tomato and cheese." Ummmm, do you know who you're asking???

8-10 cups chopped Romain, or other crunchy lettuce (I used 2 Romain hearts)
1/2 cup roasted red pepper, chopped
1 cup roasted corn
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
5 slices thick cut bacon, fried and chopped
1/2 cup candied walnuts**
Fried dandelions (recipe follows)
Walnut oil vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Layer salad in this order - dressed lettuce, roasted red pepper, roasted corn, tomatoes, and bacon. Add the walnuts and dandelions right before serving so they remain crunchy.


Make ahead and set aside:
Vinaigrette
1/2 cup Roasted French Walnut oil
2 Tbsp high quality balsamic vinegar
1 tsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp basil, chiffonade

Whisk together right before tossing with the lettuce.

Dandelion flowers
1 cup dandelion flowers, stemmed and washed well
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2+ cup beer (use a little more if you need to thin the batter a bit)
1/2 cup oil (I used corn this time)

Combine the flour, cornmeal, salt and beer in a medium bowl. The batter should be like pancake batter, so if too thick add a little more beer, if too thin add in a little more cornmeal. Add in dandelion flowers and toss to coat.

Heat the oil in a small frying pan (I use my 5" cast iron frying pan as I don't like the wasted oil) over medium-high heat. Add the dandelions to the oil one-by-one, blossom side down and cook for about 3 minutes or until slightly browned. Turn over and cook the other side. Remove blossoms (I just use a fork) and place them on a paper toweling. Immediate sprinkle with kosher salt. Repeat with remaining blossoms.


The salad was a hit. Now I just need a name for it!

*This is where all of my harvest time labor pays off!
**If I need to put instructions on how to candy your own nuts, let me know.

Flower Power!

My little Garden Sprite and some of our many flowers

They had a field day

truly.

This last month of school there is a lot happening, among them...Field Day. I recall my own field days with fond memories. Spending the day outside, just playing. And now my girl had her first one as well...and she had a ball.

I tell ya, this kid can run...and run, and run. And she's pretty fast too! Of course, she's not all grace. After I picked her up and she had her playtime in "the pit"* But in true form of their school, all of the children got a gold medal.

One thing CiBaby did not tell me in her brief of the day was what happened after she fell. I found this out later. One of her awesome teachers, Ms. G., captured this moment for us.

This is CiBaby's buddy, J. J and CiBaby bonded at the beginning of the school year over My Little Pony, and the bond continued. They are a great match.

During the Field Day race, when CiBaby fell, J stopped running, went back to where CiBaby was and started walking with her. Later, Ms G asked J why she did that and J said, "Because. [CiBaby] is mine friend." Well, I don't know about you, but that got my eyes to well up. I feel so blessed that I found such a great school that brought my girl together with such a wonderful being, who is no doubt the product of her awesome parents.

Preschool may cost you money, but it was a priceless year in my book.

*There is adjacent lot to the school that has a huge composting leaf pile that the kids love to run around and in...and they have lovingly dubbed it "the Pit." Not a day goes by that they don't want to have a romp in the pit after school.

Happy Mother's Day!

To all of you mothers out there...Have a fabulous day!

And a special "Happy" to the mothers in my life...

Mom, Grandmas...You always are/were super human to me. Thanks and I love you.

Well...why not?!

I look out my big picture window...and there they stand. Bright and glowing in the sunlight, taunting me. "Ha ha! I got into your flower beds and there's nothing you can do about it!" Until a light bulb switched on. Oh yeah? Watch me.

So today I took my trusty bowls out into the wild blue yonder and harvested...dandelions. "Huh?" you say? Well...why not?! Dandelion greens are high in Vitamins A and B, Potassium and Iron...and the flowers taste darn good when you fry them up. Of course T-Daddy said, "We're eating weeds??" and proceeded to tell CiBaby that her Mama is silly.

I fried up a little bit of bacon with a clove of minced garlic then added the dandelion greens (just the leaves, mind you) and stir-fried them up like you would any southern style greens. The flowers were dipped in a little batter and fried to a golden brown and topped with a little kosher salt. Those were gobbled up instantly.

So in the end I guess I'm not so silly after all.

Please note...if you are going to do this make sure that the dandelions you harvest are clean of all herbicides and pesticides. I picked mine out of my organic gardens which do not see any of the forementioned "cides" and are fairly protected from passing dogs.

Potato Gnocchi

For years I have been searching for a gnocchi to rival a restaurant's in the North End of Boston. Everything came up short. And tough. So when I picked a special Fine Cooking - Real Italian magazine I was delighted to see that they had not only a recipe, but also the technique of making these little pillows of happiness. I read through the recipe, tips and instructions and thought..."This is lemon squeezy!"

So tonight I whipped up a batch and I'll tell you the truth it was a little bit of heaven in a bowl...smothered in homemade sauce. Absolutely divine.

Potato Gnocchi - Fine Cooking Recipes, Techniques and Tips

Posted using ShareThis

Note: The one crucial part they left out of the recipe was the actual boiling of the gnocchi. For those who don't want to search the web and don't already intuitively know...Bring a large pot of water to boil. Once boiling add (I had to do it in two batches) the gnocchi; gently stir so they don't stick to the bottom. The gnocchi will rise to the surface of the water when almost done. Let them cook a minute more. I removed them with a slotted spoon into the serving bowl and covered with sauce. So delicious!See More

Happy...

2010!

We rang in a very frigid new year with our good friends, the Kippsters. There was lots good, semi-clean fun...along with, of course, the annual watching of Christmas Vacation. And the kicker is that CiBaby was actually awake to ring in the new year! Yikes but yay!

After that fun night of too much to eat and drink and too little sleep, I creaked my way out of bed and into the kitchen. Our morning entailed celebrating a good friend's birthday with a New Year's Day brunch...and I had signed up to bring the cheesy potatoes. One, never have I made cheesy potatoes and two...well, there's CiBaby...who loves her cheese but her cheese doesn't love her (at least the inexpensive stuff). So I set out on a mission to make a great tasting lactose-free cheesy potatoes...sounds like an oxymoron, right? But holy crykies they were GOOD!*


CzaMama's CheeZ Potatoes for CiBaby


Thick white sauce with mushroom (recipe follows)

1 cup goat's milk yogurt

2 tsp corn starch

2 lbs frozen diced hash brown potatoes, thawed
1/2 cup goat's milk butter, melted
1 1/2 cups shredded aged cheddar cheese, divided
1 1/2 Tbsp dried onion flakes
salt and pepper, to taste
4 oz chevre, cut/broken into small chunks

In a large bowl, mix yogurt and corn starch. Slowly add warm thick white sauce, stirring constantly until incorporated. Add in thawed potatoes, melted butter, 1 cup aged cheddar cheese and onion flakes. Mix; add salt and pepper, to taste.

Put potato mixture into a 9x13 baking dish and dot with chevre. Top with remaining shredded cheddar cheese.


Bake in a 350F degrees, preheated oven for 1 hour.

Thick white sauce (bechamel) with mushrooms:
2 dried mushrooms (I used shitaki), rehydrated (reserving soaking water), squeezed of extra moisture and finely chopped
3 Tbsp goat milk butter, divided
4 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (or Bob's Red Mill all-purpose gluten-free flour)
1 1/2 cups hot lactose-free milk (I use 2%)
3/4 tsp salt
1/8-1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Melt butter in heavy saucepan. Add flour; cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, or until mixture (known as a roux) is smooth and begins to bubble.

Remove saucepan from heat. Add milk all at once. Return saucepan to heat; stir vigorously with a whisk or wooden spoon. Sauce will be thickened and smooth in about 1 minute.

Add salt and pepper; cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

As if we hadn't cheered enough, the clan came over to our abode to continue our annual New Year's Day fire and hot dog roast...with a twist. This year it was so incredibly cold none of us wanted to be outside, so instead everyone roasted their dog and marshmallows by our cozy living room fireplace!

Cheers!

*I make no claim that they are healthy or low in fat/calories...just without lactose.

Where did it go?

Christmas, that is. You prep and prep until utter exhaustion, and then what? Poof, it's gone! And once you notice it's months later.

This Christmas was no different...well, maybe a little different. I worked retail. (gasp. silence.) It was quite an experience. I hardly got any baking done (not that I do much to begin with), the presents got wrapped at the last minute (like usual) but the worst...I didn't get any crafting done! sigh.* But besides those minor blips, it was a HUGE success.

CiBaby was into Christmas like nobody's business!!! She sang Christmas songs all season,** she baked cookies with G-Mama, visited Santa (by her request, not mine) and dressed in the holiday spirit...okay, so she's a little confused sometimes.

She had a blast. And it was a blast to see her having so much fun. And what could add to the delights of Christmas with a 3 year-old? SNOW and lots of it on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Lots and lots of it. So much so that we had over-night guests and some that missed out.

Besides the delights on a little girl's face we found there is still kindness among strangers. What a great Christmas gift. With all of the snow wouldn't you know, our snow blower would not start...and the plows came by...twice! So T-Daddy was out there with his trusty shovel digging the driveway out on Christmas Eve when a truck drove by with a plow on the front. The driver asked if he could move that pile of snow for T-Daddy. Ummm...YES! How wonderful. And if blessing come in twos, ours did this Christmas Day. While I was busy in the kitchen getting breakfast ready a man drove by on a two-wheeler...again with a plow on the front (Huh? You'd think we live on the Tundra or something!) and said, "Hey, I'll move it for you!" He proceeded to dig out the end of our driveway and within a couple of minutes he was boogieing his way down the street...which got T-Daddy inside quicker so we could get down to business!



After a couple days of celebrating with my family we had a day's respite (oh yeah, and I worked that day) and then came the T-Daddy clan. The last time they came over for a holiday it was one of our first years in our house and very few places to sit. This year was much different. We had a fully finished basement, lots of room in the living room and a full dining room...which helped a lot when there are over 20 people. The only thing that will make it better is when the kitchen remodel is complete.

But again, where did it go? I dunno...but I need a break!

*Oh well, whatever, right? I'm always up for new experiences. It's walking on my wild side! lol
**Shhh. So what if she does it all year. It adds to the story.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you a little Elfin Magic this Christmas! Go nuts!!!