Motherhood Manifesto

For tomorrow night's Collective meeting I'm facilitating the topic of Motherhood, with my lovely co-host Sierra. One of the exercises we came up with was to create our own motherhood manifesto...or mantra, or vision statement. My content is original and personal, but in no way can I claim the design--I'm unabashedly inspired by the work of Aardvark on Sea, found via this blog post from Alphamom. I look forward to creating a family manifesto as well, with the help of Max, Beck and the Mister.

Meatless Monday: Gary's T-Night Tacos

We did it again! Continuing on the New Year track we vowed to stay meatless on Mondays--even the Mister, who planned his lunch around Fresh-n-Easy offerings, and snuck in a chicken thigh at 11-something last night.

Tonight's recipe was awesome, and direct from Laurie David's Family Dinner cookbook. We are a taco-lovin, bean eating bunch so Gary's T-Night Tacos seemed a perfect match. Using two onions (Shhh!), black beans and the secret ingredients of maple syrup and tamari, this hearty filling made fantastic tacos (and burritos for the boys).

For toppings we used thinly sliced cabbage, fresh avocado, chopped tomato and cucumber, Greek yogurt and shredded cheese. Instead of the dressing suggested for cucumber salsa, I used a lime cilantro dressing I had already made for another recipe. The boys ate theirs without the dressing, but with most of the other toppings.

Max ate about 2/3 of his, Beck finished his off, and, well, the pan is now empty. I consider it a success!

Oh, and after dinner we got all cuddly and weepy watching this awesome cover (from some locals) of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros "Home".

Then, this great studio clip of the real deal...

Meatless Monday: Lettuce Wraps

I usually greet January with a long list of goals and measurable objectives--the same type of parameters that I resent being judged by in my 9-5. This year I've put nothing in writing...yet. That said, when creating this week's menu plan and grocery list, I decided to make my first 2011 resolution: Meatless Monday.

Last fall I had the desire to cultivate our family dinner time, and perfectly coinciding with this was the release of The Family Dinner, by Laurie David and Time for Dinner, by former Cookie editors, Pilar Guzman, Jenny Rosenstrach and Alanna Stang. I've been exploring these two new fabulous cookbooks, and as a result I have embraced a new level of domestic enthusiasm and organization. While I can save my book reviews and lady adoration for another day, I will share that it was Laurie David's book that made me aware of the Meatless Monday movement. Seriously, it sounded familiar but I just wasn't tuned in. 

Meatless Monday actually started in World War I and was incredibly effective at changing the nation's eating habits. Somewhere between June Cleaver and the Great Bacon Explosion we seem to have lost our way. While I'm a proud omnivore and my boys drool at the word STEAK, we love all kinds of food and don't feel it's necessary to include a meat/fish/poultry product at every meal. The Mister is on board with my meatlessness and the boys are pretty good sports too. Any random night we might have tofu stir fry or a veggie spaghetti. 

So why make a big deal about it? Well, I like the idea of a habit, a ritual, a conscious decision.  I like the challenge of trying new recipes, and the boys are at a great age to explore new foods and ideas. For our first official Meatless Monday we used the recipe for Vegetarian Asian-Style Lettuce Wraps (without the dipping sauce) courtesy of Leslie's Home Gourmet. I doubled it and adapted it a bit, so maybe follow her link for the real deal! The left overs are perfect with chopped Romaine for a salad, or over rice warmed up. We served it with steamed broccoli and couscous just in case it didn't go over as well as hoped. For the record, the Mister gave it a thumbs up, Max ate nearly both of his wraps before deciding he didn't like them, and Beck ate everything on his plate, plus applesauce, and a second meal of pears, rice crackers and dried apricots. Hungry much?

Vegetarian Asian-Style Lettuce Wraps with Spicy Dipping Sauce (ADAPTED)

2 packages firm tofu crumbled
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 cup shredded cabbage
2 carrots, grated
2/3 cup (plus a little more to taste) of your favorite soy marinade (Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki)
1 tsp. fresh lemongrass, minced (Thanks KKJ!)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbs. sweet chili garlic sauce
Sprinkle of salt to taste
4 tbs. canola oil
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 medium head of Boston/Butter lettuce, washed and leaves separated

In a skillet, heat canola oil over medium heat and saute onion and garlic until it begins to soften. Season with a touch of salt. Add cabbage and carrot. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Add tofu and lemongrass, marinade, sesame oil, and chili sauce. Cook another 5-10 minutes (until it thickens a bit), stirring often. Serve warm inside cool lettuce leaves.

 

Good Morning Granola

When trying to come up with this year's (okay, now last year's)  handmade holiday gift the boys expressed a VERY strong preference for cooking, versus crafting.

Cool. In order to guarantee the "handmade"part of the deal, I came up with granola. Easy enough for kids to measure, stir, and add their own creative ingredients (and mine). Two factors came in to play on this recipe...ONE, I wanted a granola that I could eat without feeling guilty. TWO, it absolutely had to be inspired by the granola at my favorite bakery--Bread & Cie.

Martha Stewart FOOD helped with requirement number ONE. As for inspiration from Bread & Cie.? That's where the Corn Pops came in. It's not even that I had this cereal as a kid (I didn't) or that I crave it as an adult (I don't). It's just that Corn Pops bring a bit of whimsy and surprise to an otherwise quiet concoction.

GOOD MORNING GRANOLA
makes 8 delicious cups

ingredients
4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup toasted wheat gern
1/2 cup flax seed
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pepita seeds
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups Corn Pops
1/2 cup dried berries
5 tablespoons robust molasses
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup water

directions
1. Heat oven to 300 degrees with rack in center. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, wheat germ, flax seed, cinnamon, ginger, seeds, and walnuts. In a small bowl, combine molasses, oil, and 1/3 cup water and pour over the oat mixture. Stir well until well coated. Spread evenly in two baking pans

2. Bake, stirring every 20 minutes or so for even cooking until dry and lightly browned--about 45 minutes. Let granola cool to room temperature, add Corn Pops and berries then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.

The boys were liberal with the cinnamon, and added dried cranberries. I threw in the pepita seeds for extra nutrients and crunch. We used olive oil instead of the recommenced canola oil, and we added maple syrup because we had just watched Elf, and Elf puts maple syrup on everything....

In the end, we thought it was a huge hit. I even used it as a topping with Greek yogurt and our Orange Challah French Toast! If you are curious about how we packed it up, hop on over to Truly Fine to see the results...

Rx: Jonathan Adler + Starbucks

(True Love)

This gorgeous new ceramic coffee grail dazzled me so much so that I almost, ALMOST missed Starbucks new price increases. Jonathan Adler, master of modern whimsy has designed a perky paisley tumbler just in time for the holly days. As if it weren't enough to be jump started by a grande quad latte each morning, this 16oz. vessel is the perfect antidote for a working girl's maladies.

Oh and about those price jumps...I may need to rethink my daily dosage.

Soundtrack for a Broken Heart (or not)

I tend to really like songs about heartbreak. And not because I can identify, or relate at the time, they just are SO compelling. There are two right now that I'm SUPER into, which deal with a lot more than a broken heart...Kiss With a Fist by Florence + The Machine, Love the Way You Lie by Eminem featuring Rihanna. Okay, Florence is AWESOME! I would rock her outfit, her fire, her 'tude. Love it.

On the serious note of "more than a broken heart," check out  Eve Ensler's "Global movement to end violence against women and girls" VDAY and V Girls ...

Here are some of my choice selections, in no particular order:


Heartbreak Warfare, John Mayer
Love The Way You Lie, Eminem (feat. Rihanna)
Irreplaceable, Beyonce
Kiss With a Fist, Florence + The Machine (see above)
The Last Day Of Our Acquaintance, Sinead O'Connor
Already Gone, Kelly Clarkson
Breakin' Up, Riley Kiley
Sun Comes up It's Tuesday Morning, The Cowboy Junkies (Really, an optimistic one...)
Bleeding Love, Leona Lewis
Good Year For The Roses, Elvis Costello
Need You Now, Lady Antebellum
Every Rose Has It's Thorn, Poison
With or Without You, U2

SIDEBAR
Love The Way You Lie features  a fine F-Bomb dropped by Eminem, early in the song. This was picked up quite clearly by Beck, as we worked on an art project in my office. Someone was up for testing me...

B: "Hey, he said some bad words" PAUSE "He said fu#kin'."
Me: "Yes, he did, so we'll skip to the next song."
LONGER PAUSE
B: "Because he said 'fu#kin' ?"
Me: "Yep."

Momofuko Milk Bar Cinnamon Bun Pie

Direct from Daily Candy is a breakfast treat I can't wait to test out. I won't pretend to have made this yet or written a bit, it's all from today's Daily Candy.

Photo: Janelle Jones via Daily Candy

Irresistible Buns
Momofuku's Pastry Chef Remakes Mom's Classic

You’ve got seasonal spirit, but you’re short on dough. Head to the kitchen armed with recipe riffs from our favorite bakers, pastry chefs, and chocolatiers, and you can bake, melt, and sugar-glaze your gifts this year.

Here’s a taste from Christina Tosi, who recalls the cinnamon buns her mother used to serve for breakfast on special occasions. (They were made with margarine and, well, “not so good,” she says now). Tosi took it upon herself to restore the doughy pastry to glory, and the (now) beloved swirls inspired the cinnamon bun pie (seen here) she created for Momofuku Milk Bar in New York City.

Christina Tosi’s Cinnamon Bun Pie
Yields fourteen pieces

Ingredients

For the dough
2½ tsp. dry active yeast
¾ c. warm water
1½ c. warm milk
6 c. bread flour
2 tbsp. salt
1 c. sugar
2 tbsp. butter, at room temperature

For the filling
1 c. butter, at room temperature
1½ c. light brown sugar
2 tbsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. salt

For the cream cheese frosting
½ c. butter
1½ c. cream cheese
½ tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. confectioners’ sugar
2 tsp. salt

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water and milk.

2. Knead in dry ingredients. Add butter. Let rise for 45 minutes.

3. After the 45-minute rise, roll out dough into a long rectangle and spread butter over its surface. Sprinkle it with a generous amount of light brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.

4. Roll up the rectangle into a long cylinder. Cut into fourteen, 2-inch pieces. Place in a greased 9-by-13-inch pan or two 10-inch pie pans and cover with plastic. Let rise another 45 minutes before baking 12-22 minutes at 375°.

5. To prepare the frosting, mix butter, cream cheese, extract, sugar, and salt thoroughly.

6. While the buns are still warm, spread the frosting generously over them and serve immediately. Watch as they disappear before your very eyes.