The Apple of My Eye

We have a lovely, little apple tree right in the middle of our city backyard. When I laid eyes on this 80+ year-old tree, my mind ran wild with the possibilities. I was smitten from the start.

Our little tree produces fruit every other year. It is fascinating, messy and overwhelming all at the same time. Watching the progression from spring until fall is truly amazing. Cleaning up the dozens and dozens of apples that fall to the ground each day is not as amazing (although every squirrel in Wicker Park is helping to do their part by carrying away half-chewed apples to save as a snack for later).

The picking and apple sauce making have become family rituals. And I love it when one of my littles says to me, "Mom, will you make me an apple pie?" How could I say no?

In a week or two, most of the apples will be gone. We're doing our best to make use of as many as we can (and giving away apples to anyone who is interested).

I already can't wait for spring of 2013 when I see the pink buds appear and we can do this all over again.

Family-Friendly Fondue

If there were ever a time to try fondue -- this is it. The weather is miserable. We are basically snowed in -- except for absolutely essential outings.

Bring on the melted cheese and chocolate, I say!

Fondue can be a fun and novel family activity. Plus, it is yummy. Really yummy.

Interested? Have a look at my story in Chicago Parent about family-friendly fondue options.

Ice Cream Clown Sundaes for Colin

We aren't really cake people.

Between Colin's egg allergy and Ellie's general anti-cake-or-cupcake sentiment, I've found that it is easier to stick to ice cream for birthday celebrations.

For Ellie's birthday last April, we made ice cream flower pots (complete with hidden gummy worms) and those were a big hit.

For Colin's recent birthday celebration, my clever and talented sister-in-law Bethany created these ice cream clowns. We dipped the rims of plain ol' sugar cones in melted chocolate and then covered them in sprinkles. Bethany piped frosting up and down the "hats" to create the most adorable puffs. We used chocolate chips for the eyes, a red M&M for the nose and a piece of Twizzler for the mouth.

Viola. Tasty and fun.

Fabulous Fun in a Flower Pot

Ellie doesn't really like cake. She is an ice cream girl. We've done ice cream birthday cakes before so I wanted to go a different route for her birthday dessert this year.

I randomly came across a post about ice cream flower pots on The Pioneer Woman's website. I felt inspired. I knew that Ellie would love this playful dessert. And she did -- especially the gummy worms hidden deep beneath the "dirt." And who wouldn't love mint chocolate chip ice cream buried beneath a layer of crushed Oreo cookies? Honestly, who could resist it? Not you, I bet.

Sweetie Pie

This is our first apple pie of the season.

I am only going to make a few of these because really, how much pie can one family eat?

My real plan is to make and freeze apple pie filling so we can have pie whenever we want over the next year. Seems like a good way to use up those apples, right?

I'm not using an exact recipe but this is generally how I've been making my filling.

Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a pan. Add 3 cups or so of peeled, cored and sliced apples. Sprinkle with sugar (I have been using a combination of granulated white sugar and brown sugar). Add cinnamon, nutmeg and salt based on your own preference for these things. I also add a very little bit of apple cider. Cook until the apples are tender and then freeze in individual batches.

I have to confess that I use Trader Joe's frozen pie crusts (the purists among you cringe, no doubt). I am a big fan of these easy-to-use and tasty crusts (plus I don't even have time to shower on a regular basis these days so learning to make homemade crust is not high on my list of priorities).

Next: turnovers and maybe a strudel.

Oh, Hello There October

Fall is decidedly HERE (brrrr).

We are starting to get into an autumn mood around here and we have lots of "fallish" activities on the agenda for next week:

(1) Soup -- tons and tons of soup (potato leek last night, lentil and vegetable next Monday)

(2) Planting daffodil bulbs for the spring

(3) Picking up some funky gourds from the farmer's market to go with the pumpkin collection on the front porch

(4) Fall baking with my little helpers (pumpkin cookies and an apple crostada)

(5) Knitting, knitting, knitting because I know two heads that are going to be in need of hats very soon

(6) Drinking warm apple cider at every opportunity

Filling Up the Freezer

Our very own tomato sauce -- made from start to finish (including the beautiful label)by my little helpers. I can't wait to reach into my freezer one chilly November day to retrieve our creation.

A Delicious Transformation

I took a big bowl of roma grape tomatoes from my garden (aren't they just the prettiest little things you ever did see?)

And I transformed them into the simplest tomato sauce ever.

Then we devoured nearly every single bite. So good.

Preparations

I have been running around my garden, preparing for the less lovely weather that is coming (or has already arrived? Gosh, that was fast).

Everything seems so bountiful and green now, but I know that will not be the case in a few weeks. Work to do. Work to do.

I have invested so much time and energy into my garden that and I want to make the most of it before it withers away.

Here is my rough plan:

I simply cannot keep up with my tomatoes, so I have begun oven-drying them for later use in salads, crostinis, etc. (So easy . . . .slice tomatoes into rings, season with salt and pepper, and bake for about six hours at 200 degrees on a cookies sheet rubbed with a little olive oil).

My basil is beautiful -- but not for long (temperatures are expected to drop into the forties one night this week). So I am plucking leaf after leaf and making pesto to freeze for a "summer" treat in the depths of winter. This process takes about five minutes. Toss two cups of basil leaves, 1/3 cup of olive oil, 3 tablespoons or pine nuts, two small garlic cloves (chopped small) and a big pinch of salt into the food processor and mash it all up. Store each batch in a freezer bag. After I defrost it to use, I will add in about 3/4 cups of grated parmigiano-reggiano and 3 tablespoons on softened butter before serving.

I cut back my lavender and am in the process of drying it to create aromatic eye pillows for Ellie and Brendan (feeling calm, very calm).

I think my carrots have done what they are going to do so we have begun to pull them up as well. And my Swiss chard has about two servings left before it bids us farewell.

When a decent amount of my big boy tomatoes come ripe in a week or two (stay away cold!), I am going to make some simple tomato sauce to freeze.

And I am looking for tips on how to best preserve my other herbs (Italian parsley, sage, thyme, rosemary). Any advice for me? I suppose I could always transplant them into pots to bring indoors for a few weeks longer.

I am not sure that you can really take summer with you -- but I am trying.

Making Bread: Challah

With the help to two very able and hard-working assistants, I made traditional challah bread for the first time yesterday. (Many thanks to Rachel for the recipe!).

Here is the finished product. I wish I had made the braids tighter so the bread had better shape. But oh, does it taste good. I have been sneaking toasted and buttered slices all day. At this rate, it is unlikely to make it until brunch tomorrow!

January

As much as I really love the whole seasonal go-round (spring = daffodils!, summer = farmer's market!, fall = apple crostada!), I have a hard time working up a ton of enthusiasm for January.

Holidays are over. House is a mess. Skin is pale. Toes have gone without pedicure for far too long. February and March are still going to be really cold. Spring is faaaaar away. Sigh.

I think it is definitely best to stay busy and get on with it though. Here is what I have planned so far:

(1) Waiting for new nephew's arrival
(2) Experimenting with Alice Water's The Art of Simple Food (chard with Parmesan, braised pork shoulder, minestrone, warm gougeres)
(3) Continue with my cupcake project (more later because it deserves it own post)
(4) Break in new sleds when a fresh snow arrives
(5) Organize our books
(6) Not one, but two opportunities to dress up and have night out with handsome husband
(7) Starting Montessori parent/toddler class with Brendan
(8) A clementine each morning with my coffee
(9) And at the very end of the month, a warm weather reprieve in Sanibel. Bike rides! Sand castles! Margaritas!

Veggie Tricks: An Update

I have previously blogged about my ongoing efforts to encourage my two little ones to consume veggies, particularly the green ones. In pursuit of this objective, I have resorted to lots of tricks (usually with little success).

Imagine my surprise to discover that after a trip to the park with Grandma and Auntie Beth earlier this week, Ellie marched into a local convenience store, chose a smoothie called The Green Machine and declared it "fabulous."

I think The Green Machine more closely resembles pond scum than a beverage. And I would certainly rather eat my broccoli than drink it. But between her Green Machine smoothies and the ten or so leaves of basil Ellie eats from our little garden each day, she is suddenly doing just fine in the green veggies department.

Veggie Tricks

No peas. No broccoli. No zucchini. My kids just seem to be hardwired to reject most vegetables, particularly the green ones. And Ellie won't eat orange food either (yuck, carrots). So I have resorted to vegetable trickery . . . with mixed results. In my experience, here is what has worked and what has most definitely not worked.

A New Twist on the Familiar
Ellie loves pancakes in the morning . . but my sweet potato pancakes with cinnamon honey butter (recipe from Cookie Magazine) were a huge flop. They were delicious and I happily ate the whole batch myself, but they were too orange for Ellie's discriminating eye. S0 much for a little vitamin A in the morning.

Tough Choices
Sometimes I will chop some mixed vegetables up very small (the Cuisinart accomplishes this nicely) and mix them in with the things I know they love to eat. For example, my kids love macaroni and cheese so I sometimes put a little bit of chopped broccoli in the cheese sauce. This usually meets with protest ("why my noodles look green?"), but Ellie will sometimes decide to take the bad with the good. Other times, she will spend twenty minutes picking our every offending piece.

If You Won't Eat Them . . .
My latest approach involves tricking them into drinking vegetables. Whole Foods sells a product called Vruit, which claims to provide a full serving of vegetables in each eight-ounce serving. It comes in a variety of flavors (many of which surreptitiously contain beet, celery and carrot juice). But both Ellie and Brendan seem to love it. V-8 has a similar product called V-Fusion which they will also drink. It isn't a perfect solution, but I figure it is better than nothing.

But now I have taken this trick too far. I bought carrot juice last week and mixed it with a little regular juice, which worked until Ellie saw the bottle with the damn carrots on it. Horrified, she asked, "Why you do that? Why there be carrots in that juice. I already tell you I no like carrots."

And periodically, they will both surprise me. Brendan ate about half of a sauteed red pepper last week. He tolerates my "kale pesto" over buttered noodles. Ellie has been known to inhale mixed salad greens (but only if served with Daddy's homemade vinaigrette). And last night Ellie was out on the porch eating basil right off the plant. That counts as a green veggie, right?

That Damn Ice Cream Truck

As our summer gets going, the chicks and I have been spending lots of time in sandboxes and swings at our local parks. But not a day passes where our lovely outing to the park is not sullied by the sounds of an ice cream truck just beyond the playground fence. Followed by the predictable, "Mom, can I have . . ."

I am still figuring out how to handle this situation. Last summer I told Ellie that it was a music truck and that seemed to satisfy her. No luck with that now that she is three. Lately, I have just been telling her that I don't have any money (which is almost always true). But that usually leads to crying and a request to go to the ATM.

I believe in having a treat from time to time. And we certainly don't lead a sugar-free lifestyle (as the employees at the corner gelato store can attest). But I do try to feed my kids real food and a giant Dora the Explorer ice cream bar just doesn't seem like a good idea. I also recognize that a three-year-old isn't going to understand why I let her get ice cream at the park today, but not tomorrow and every day after. And if Ellie gets ice cream, Brendan will attack hers until he gets his own. It's just not a road I want to go down.

So I have come up with two decent summer treat alternatives. I bought a star-shaped popsicle mold last year that has been great fun. We mix pureed watermelon and orange juice together, fill the molds and wait for them to freeze. A few hours later we are having orange-watermelon pops on our porch. I also freeze Stoneyfield Farms Organic YoKids Squeezers and a totally revolting tube of messy yogurt (who thought of that?) suddenly becomes a push-up pop.

Neither of these solutions helps with the ice cream truck at the park dilemma. But it seems to make the crying subside somewhat once we get home.