Jingle Bells, Batman Smells! (P.S. So Does May.)

On Sunday evening I took Maggie and Ellie to see “Junie B., First Grader: Jingle Bells, Batman Smells! (P.S. So Does May.) at the Stages Theatre Company in Hopkins, MN.  If you have young children in your house, especially ones who are Junie B. fans, this is a good family event to take them to during the holiday season.

Junie B.'s classroom!

From the Stages Theatre website:  “Returning to Stages Theatre Company is Junie B. Jones, that first grader with an attitude. The holiday sing-along should be fun, but when it's time for the Secret Santa drawing, Junie B. picks the one person she'd rather not have--tattletale May. Don't miss this family-friendly story, with a message about the importance of giving.”

The girls leave letters for Santa in the Lobby of the theater.

 While the show was kind of slow in a couple of places, and the girl who played “Junie B.” did at times speak so quickly that it was difficult to understand what she was saying, the play was very cute and light.  The actors playing “May” and “Sheldon” were particularly good.  The play is the perfect length for young kids (about 70 minutes, with no intermission) and the price can’t be beat!  $15 for adults and $12 for children (kids under 2 are free).  This is much more affordable for a family than the Children’s Theater Company in Minneapolis, where tickets to a show for a family of four can run you upwards of $90 for the cheapest seats on a weeknight.

Waiting (patiently) for the show to start.

Stages Theatre is a great introduction to live theater for children.  This mom recommends it!

That's so annoying.

I think we have all fallen victim to the annoying toy.  I have both been guilty of giving a gift to a child only to have the mom or dad say to me, with that facetious tone, "Thank you sssssooooo much for that great toy", and also receiving a toy for one of my girls that mysteriously disappears after a few weeks.

To that end, I found this story about some annoying toys to avoid this holiday season.  Don't worry; I won't give any of your children these items this year!

Winter Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

One of the tasks I was assigned this Thanksgiving was to bring a salad to dinner. I don't know about you, but the same old green salad bored the bejesus out of me, so I decided to make something a little different. I found a recipe for a fruit salad and kind of adapted it to my taste, and came up with this creation. I think it was a hit!

Winter Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1/2 cup lemon juice
* 2 teaspoons diced onion
* 1 teaspoon Dijon-style prepared mustard
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2/3 cup vegetable oil
* 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

* 1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
* 4 ounces shredded Swiss cheese
* 1 cup cashews
* 1/4 cup dried cranberries
* 1 apple - peeled, cored and diced
* 1 pears - peeled, cored and diced

Directions

1. In a blender or food processor, combine sugar, lemon juice, onion, mustard and salt. Process until well blended. With machine still running add oil in a slow steady stream until mixture is thick and smooth. Add poppy seeds and process just a few seconds more to mix.

2. In a large serving bowl combine the romaine lettuce, shredded Swiss cheese, cashews, dried cranberries, cubed apple and cubed pear. Toss to mix then pour dressing over salad just before serving and toss to coat.

This is light and yummy and would make a great lunch all by itself.

Thanksgiving is...

We are a Christmas family. Christmas is my holiday. I start planning for it in August and shopping is done by Thanksgiving. (Yes, I am already done shopping.) Thanksgiving has always been just a day in November to mark the beginning of the Christmas season. Oh, and an excuse to indulge in some over the top gluttony for a day.

Then came this year. As I mentioned in previous posts, my husband is living in Boston right now while we are in Minnesota. Due to financial considerations, he wasn’t able to travel here for the holiday, so while he was with his family on Thanksgiving, Ellie, Maggie, and I spent the evening with some wonderful friends and their family.

While we truly enjoyed our Thanksgiving with our friends, and were extremely grateful they extended an invitation to us, we also really missed Paul. Since we have been living in Minnesota, our Thanksgivings were very low key; we would go out to a restaurant and partake of their buffet, then just hang out at our home for the afternoon, watching videos and just being together. We weren’t with extended family, but we were all together as our own family unit, making our Thanksgiving complete. This year, we just weren’t complete.

Thanksgiving isn’t just about food, football (the Patriots won, by the way :) ), and planning your Black Friday attack. It is about taking a day to remember that no matter what other problems or issues you may have swirling around you, you need to remember all the good you have in your life. It is a day to block out all that other holiday craziness that the next few weeks will bring, to sit down with your family and friends and give thanks for what you have in your life, and remember those who may not be as fortunate as you. Take the time to be happy on that day, and remember, your life is rich.

Thanksgiving is family.

I love NPR

We are a family of news junkies. Paul and I, and even Ellie and Maggie, like to watch, read, listen to, and talk about the news...a lot!  To that end one of my favorite sources for news is National Public Radio (NPR).  In this day and age of what has mostly become "opinion journalism," NPR is still a great source for the in depth and objective news you just can't find on television, or most places, for that matter.

On that front, I was listening to "Talk of the Nation" last week, and heard a fasinating and great debate on whether or not objectivity should be the standard in news.  Please, take a moment to listen to this debate and give me your thoughts.

Who needs a turkey when you have friends (and soup)!

This is the first Thanksgiving since we met that my husband and I have been apart.  We knew going into this period of transition that we would have to spend this holiday apart, but it still can make for a slightly sad day.

However, thanks my girls and I won’t be a depressing family of three celebrating Thanksgiving at some cheesy restaurant buffet.  We were graciously invited to spend the holiday with our good friends, Shelley and Baard, and their boys, Noah and Caleb.  We decided to forgo a traditional Thanksgiving dinner in favor of a more relaxed, healthified meal; no turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc.  Shelley is preparing the main dishes, while I am preparing the salads and dessert.  

I also decided to sneak a little Thanksgivingness into the meal and decided to make a soup as well.  I love this Cashew Carrot Ginger soup from Pacific Natural Foods, and thought it would be a great addition to a Thanksgiving table.  To that end, I did a little digging and found this great recipe that really mimics the flavors in the soup, but being that I made it myself, it’s even better!  And, you can adjust the spices and ginger to suit your personal taste. I can’t wait to bring it to Thanksgiving.

Shelley and Baard, I hope you like it!

Carrot Ginger Soup with Cashews (adapted from The New Moosewood Cookbook)

2 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
4 cups water

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1-1/2 cups chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground fennel
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice

3-4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup toasted cashews

Place the carrots in a medium saucepan and add the water. Bring to a boil, cover and cook until the carrots are very tender (10-15 minutes)

Heat the olive oil in a small fry pan. Add onion and cook over medium heat until translucent. Add ginger, garlic, salt, and spices. Lower the heat and continue to saute for another 8-10 minutes, until the onions are soft. Stir in lemon juice.

Combine the spice-onion mixture with the carrots and the cashews. Use a blender to puree the mixture until smooth.

PS:  check out Shelley's blog a little spinach!

My Favorite Things: Minnesota Edition

This morning I read an article about what Oprah gave away this year on her “Favorite Things” show.  Now, I will preface this by saying if I just happened to have someone shower me with free stuff as she did, I would probably not turn it down.  However, watching grown people jump up and down and scream and literally cry about getting jewelry and televisions is a little surreal.  Come on people.   Have a little decorum.

Anyway, I decided to make my own version of a favorite things list, so here it is.  My Favorite Things:  Minnesota Edition.

• Minneapolis Institute of Art – not only is this a wonderful art museum with a great collection and fantastic art classes and lectures for both adults and chlldren, it is totally free!
•  Como Zoo – A really nice, smaller zoo.  It is perfect for younger children who may not be able to handle all the walking needed to explore the Minnesota Zoo.  Plus, again, it is totally free.
• Mall of America – Also free, if you don’t buy anything.  But come on, 500,000 square feet of retail, with an entire amusement park, aquarium, mini golf course, movie theater, etc.  Plus, you may find yourself on an episode of “Mall Cops.”
• Duluth – Duluth is a beautiful and fun town on the shores of Lake Superior.  A great place for a long weekend road trip.
• Minnesota State Fair – deep fried Snickers on a stick.  Need I say anything else?
• The Mary Tyler Moore Statue at Nicollet Mall – If you haven’t had your picture taken next to this statue while throwing your hat in the air, you are missing a great opportunity to make a fool of yourself in public!
• The Spam Museum – come on!  Who wouldn’t be amazed to find out there is an entire museum dedicated to Spam.
•  The Mississippi River -- go to Lake Itasca, and see where it all begins.
•  Deep Fried Cheese Curds – no explanation needed.
• Summer – Maybe it’s the 6 full months of snow and darkness forcing you to live inside 24/7. But I have never, ever, in my life experienced more glorious summers than I have experienced since living in Minnesota.  Seriously.  They are just stupendous.

There you have it.  Minnesota at its best.  And you don’t have to jump around like a maniac to enjoy it.

Single Parent's Rule!

Anyone who has children knows that it is not easy to raise them and give them the best of you while also trying to deal with day to day life.  This is true for all kinds of parents; married, single, stay at home, working, etc.  I have been extremely lucky to be able to be a stay at home mother for the past eight years.  My husband and I always believed this to be the best choice for our family, and we were fortunate enough that his job allowed for us to be able to live on one income.  We know there are a lot of people for whom this is not a possibility, especially single parents.  While I have always sympathized with the extra stressors and work it takes to be a single parent, I have not been close to being able to understand a little bit of that life, until recently.

Right now, my husband is living in Boston while I am living in Minnesota with our two daughters.  He started a new position there a few weeks ago and until we are able to sell or rent our home here in the Twin Cities, we are living apart.  That makes me single mom for the time being.

I can’t at all completely understand what the daily life of a working single parent is like.  As an at home mother, I am able to get all the day to day tasks of running the household done while the girls are at school. I don’t have to wait until night or the weekends to run errands, clean, etc.  But, I think I can understand now what it is like to be solely responsible for everything going on in the house.  From the time I get up in the morning until my head hits the pillow at night, I need to do it all.  If I don’t do it, it doesn’t get done.  Truth be told, I think a lot of stay at home moms think this a lot of the time anyway, but believe me, now that my husband is not present, I appreciate what he did around the house more and more each day.  And I miss having that person there to take some of the load, especially on those “bad days” we all have every once in a while. 

So a big shout out to all you single moms (and dads!) out there.  You deserve much more recognition than you get!

Rustic Eggplant Parmesan

One of my favorite meals is my “whole foods” version of Eggplant Parmesan.  It is super easy and super yummy and since 90% of the recipe is using whole foods, super healthy, too!   

Here is what you need.  I don’t really have exact measurements for this recipe, so feel free to adjust to your taste.  Try to use organic foods wherever you can.

• 1 package mushrooms of your choice, sliced and washed
• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
• 1 medium eggplant
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Flour
• Eggs
• Panko breadcrumbs
• Parmesan cheese, grated
• Polenta (I serve the eggplant and tomato over polenta, but you can certainly use pasta if you prefer).

Put the mushrooms in one baking dish and the tomatoes in the other.  Drizzle the EVOO over both and season with salt and pepper. (I used a delicious Tuscan Herb EVOO here from The Olive Grove in Mendota Heights, MN.  Fantastic store!)  Roast the mushrooms and tomatoes in a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, slice the eggplant into ¼” slices and place on a paper towel lined sheet pan.  Sprinkle the slices with salt and let sit for about 15 minutes.  This helps to draw out some of the moisture and reduce the bitterness of the eggplant.   

Set out three bowls and put the flour in one, the eggs in one, and the panko in the third.  Beat the eggs well and season the panko with salt and pepper.  Dredge the eggplant slices in the flour, then dip in the egg, then bread with the panko and place on a clean baking sheet.  Bake the breaded eggplant slices at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Prepare the polenta according to the package directions.  Place 3 – 4 eggplant slices on top of the polenta.  Spoon some of the tomatoes and mushrooms over the eggplant slices.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese to taste. 

Enjoy!

Getting to know you...

So, let me tell you a little more about me and my family.

That’s me, Kim.  I am 38 years old and a stay at home mom.  I love to bake, so hence, I love to workout!  I am a fitness and nutrition fanatic as well, trying to balance my love of sweets with a healthy lifestyle. To that end, I became a vegetarian about 2 years ago.

I grew up in Central Massachusetts, the middle sister of three girls.  Can you say “Jan Brady?”  My father was a Professor of Civil Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a brilliant man with an extremely quick wit.  My mom was a stay at home mom for the first half of my childhood but later went back to work as an Office Manager at W.P.I. as well.

I graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in English, and promptly took that degree, moved to Boston, and applied its usefulness to the financial industry.  I met my husband, Paul, when I was 23 through a personal ad.  Not one of those modern internet sites, but an old-fashioned, honest-to-god, newspaper personal!  We were married in 2000 and moved to the Twin Cities of Minnesota in 2007.  Now, we are in the process of trying to move back to Boston; and with this housing market, who knows when that will happen!

Next, my husband, Paul.  He grew up in the Boston area the oldest child, with two younger sisters, which is why I believe he is a wonderful father to girls.  He got his bachelor’s degree from Indiana State University and lived in Indiana for 9 years, before moving back to Boston.  He received a Master’s Degree from Bentley University in Human Factors in Intelligent Design and currently is working as a Senior User Experience Manager.  He loves sports, especially baseball and the Boston Red Sox, reading, and his daughters.  He hates mowing the grass and pasta.

Eleanor is my oldest daughter.  She is 8 years old and a sweet, quiet girl.  She loves to read and listen to music.  She takes gymnastics classes and piano lessons, both of which she enjoys.  She is very sporty, and loves playing outside.  She is very thoughtful and tenacious.  She has a sweet tooth like me, and is a very good eater, meaning she at least is willing to try new foods.

Margaret is our younger daughter.  She is 6 years old and a little goofball.  She takes dancing and art classes and is a very creative thinker. She also loves to read and make up and illustrate stories.  She likes to make us laugh whenever she can.  She loves the Three Stooges and Looney Tunes cartoons.  She is a typical picky eater, not willing to try new things, and has opposite taste preferences from her sister, which makes cooking family meals interesting.

There we are.  Aren’t we cute?