Vegetarian Inspiration

If ever you are in need of some vegetarian inspiration, Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
will provide a wealth of ideas, and then some. I was familiar with his other book, How to Cook Everything, so when I saw this vegetarian version, I had to get my hands on a copy. A quick trip to the local library satisfied my need, and now I just wish I had more time to look through the recipes.
I've only skimmed through the book, but already I'm intrigued. Bittman says that risotto can be made with brown rice. Really? Not just the arborio rice that, in my understanding, is essential for risotto? Considering our family's new-found love for risotto, the possibility of a healthier brown rice variation is exciting. Maybe even life-changing.
So hopefully I'll have some new recipes to try out in the next couple of weeks. I'll let you know if I find any keepers!

Wordless Wednesday - China Travels

Mission ABC Accomplished

So we've been working on Kindergarten-ish stuff this year with Millie. I've been trying to find the balance between encouraging her in her work yet not pushing her to the point of frustration. I want her to love to learn, and I'm wary about pushing her so much that she doesn't enjoy learning. So we go light on the workbooks and do a lot of creative play and reading real books. Considering all that, I'm a bit amazed to report that Millie actually just finished an entire workbook. Every single page. While still in her pajamas.

I will say that as far as workbooks go, this one was right up her alley (and you can find it at Wal-Mart). Because let's face it, the only way to learn to write is to sit down and just practice, practice, practice. But since Millie is my little story-teller, this made the practicing very fun for her.

Here she is, finished! She was very proud of her accomplishment.


So, yes, she's only five. And it's just an alphabet workbook. But we're proud of her too. And so thankful that she's in our lives. As she's growing up I am continually reminded of what an amazing blessing children are, and what an incredible responsibility we have in teaching them. I'm so grateful God has entrusted me with this sweet, creative kid, and I'm excited to see all that God has in store for her.

For more Gratituesday posts, visit Heavenly Homemakers. Have a great day!

Happy Year of the Ox

Today starts the Chinese New Year. We lived in Hong Kong for a year, and in mainland China for three years. So in honor of this first day of the Year of the Ox, I thought I'd share a couple of our China pictures.

Can you guess what this guy is doing?

He's making noodles. He would basically just stretch them and fold them over and over. Very cool to watch, and so delicious!

And here's Millie visiting the bakery near where we lived. I used to take her there every week or so and we would get a snack and watch them decorate cakes. As you can imagine, the workers took a liking to her!

So there's a little glimpse from the Middle Kingdom. Gong Xi Fa Cai! Or in Hong Kong, Kung Hay Fat Choi! Happy New Year!

Menu Plan

I don't always get around to planning meals for the week, but things certainly feel more sane around here when I have in mind what I'm going to make. Here's what's on the menu for suppers this week:

Monday - Chinese New Year - Vegetable Lo Mein

Tuesday - Potatoes and Zucchini with Curry Sauce, Carrot and Apple Salad

Wednesday - Simple Bean Soup, Sweet Potato Wedges

Thursday - Rice and Beans

Friday - Corn Chowder, Roasted Veggies

Saturday - Leftovers

For more Menu Plan Monday, check out Org Junkie!

Baking with the Kids

The cold weather has me feeling cooped up and a bit aimless. Not good considering it's only January and we have a good deal of winter still. My response to the general winter blahs? Baking.
I'll admit that I don't really like doing baking projects with both of the older children. Too many fights about who gets to do what, and it's just crazy-making to try to manage both of them and a recipe. But since Millie was out with Tom all day yesterday, Silas and I made a batch of peanut butter cookies. I hadn't made these in years.

He and I baked half the batch and gleefully ate them up. Then I froze the rest of the dough for some other evening.

Then today Millie had it in her head that we just had to make some coconut muffins. I don't recall ever making coconut muffins, but I just took an adaptable blueberry muffin recipe and substituted some unsweetened coconut for the blueberries, then we added sweetened coconut to the top of the muffins before baking.

I helped with the measuring, but otherwise Millie pretty much did everything else. And I love having a miniature muffin tin. Great for making kid-sized muffins.

Happiness in Six Things

Fellow blogger Madeline, who blogs at My Boy and Me, passed along this cute award to me: The Tree of Happiness. Madeline is a sweet, happy mama herself, and I've really enjoyed reading her blog as she chronicles life with her little guy and also some of her creative endeavors.

So since I'm all about focusing on some happy things, I'll play along. The rules:

Link to the person who gave you the award.
Post the rules on your blog.
List six things that make you happy.
Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.

And some happy things:

1. Family. What an incredible blessing to have Tom in my life, and then that God has entrusted us with these three precious children. My extended family is so special to me as well. Tom can tell you that I really am happiest when I get to see them, probably because I feel most comfortable and "myself" with them.

2. Chocolate. Any kind really. I'm not picky.

3. Sewing. This is a new thing for me. I got a sewing machine just before Thanksgiving, and I have been overjoyed with learning to use it and then making some clothes for Millie. I feel so capable now that I can turn a couple of yards of fabric into something wearable!

4. Baby smiles. Isaac has been giving me lots of gummy grins these days, and it just melts my heart every time.

5. Reading aloud with the kids. It has been so much fun to move into reading chapter books to Millie. We've recently been reading The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and I seriously wish we could spend a couple of hours every night curled up on the couch reading. With cooking and housework and the baby there isn't that much time, but I love the time we do have. And I still enjoy reading a good picture book to the kids as well.

6. Seedlings. It doesn't matter how many times I have planted a seed and then seen the first little leaves poke out from the earth. It makes me giddy with joy every time. All that possibility in a tiny seed. It's just amazing.

Okay, we'll do a 50% off special here. I'm tagging 3 people:

Heather. I've known Heather since we were in Kindergarten together, and she certainly has a lot to be happy about since she has a little one on the way!

Jamie. Also a friend from way back, she just started blogging recently about being mom to her beautiful girls - who happen to be my cousins :)

Brooke. My sweet sister-in-law, she has a fun blog and three fun kiddos!

Moderation in Eating

Once again, I'm finding inspiration from Keeping House, this time regarding food, specifically the food we prepare at home for our families. I appreciate the idea that food need not be exciting and complicated. There is much value in food that is simple and nourishing. And I'm also finding that I'd like to use this idea of moderation as a guide:

"Everyday food is about moderation. It is about moderation of expense, in that "whole things" (like steaks and chops) are expensive, and rare is the household whose food budget allows such things on a nightly basis. And it is about moderation of consumption. It is about eating half of a dish tonight so as to have the other half left for tomorrow, or eating lightly this evening because tomorrow evening there will be company tomorrow and thus a larger meal or something special for dessert."

The New Normal

I just realized recently that I have been either pregnant or nursing for more than six years straight now. When Millie was just a baby I remember telling Tom that I hoped I could have a few months break between the time she weaned and the time that we got pregnant with our next baby. I just wanted a little while when I could be "back to normal." Those were my words.

But since Millie nursed until she was 2 1/2 and Silas also nursed past his second birthday, there hasn't been a break. Nursing toddlers have overlapped with my past two pregnancies. That's okay, though, because that old "normal" is long gone. And it turns out, I don't miss it so very much after all. Now I'm someone who mothers and nurtures. Life isn't always just about me, and that's a good thing. Maybe I'm growing up.

Things to Come

Somehow I have a feeling that in 10 years or so Millie will probably be doing the same thing: hanging out in her pajama pants and talking on the phone. But hopefully by then her little brother won't be so desperate to get the phone from her.

I enjoyed sewing my first pair of pants, and I just love the ruffles at the bottom of the legs! Hopefully I'll have the top that matches done soon.

Grabby Baby

I just realized that I've neglected to post any pictures of Isaac lately. These days he's a fat, happy baby who loves to work at grabbing anything that gets near his hands.

He's also becoming very adept at rolling half-way across the floor. Oh, and he's four months old now too.

Making Something

In recent years I've come to appreciate the importance of the creative process in a person's life. There's just something soul-nourishing about seeing something made from start to finish. So when I ran across this quote in Keeping House, there was a resounding "amen!" within me:

One woman says, "Whenever I begin to feel entangled and trapped in necessary tasks, I hear my grandmother's voice telling me that her mother used to admonish her: 'You have to make something, Sarah Elizabeth. You shouldn't spend all your time cooking and cleaning - those things are never done. You have to make something!' "

So in the interest of making something I knit up a few dish cloths. Not necessarily exciting, but it was still gratifying to have a finished project that would provide some usefulness.

As a new knitter, these were also a way for me to simply practice knitting. I do hope to move on to bigger and better things. Perhaps a hat for me or wool longies for the baby. We'll see.

Tortellini Soup

A couple of winters ago I was looking for a nice soup that I could serve to company. I had in mind something with tortellini, but never found quite the recipe I was looking for, so I made up one of my own. The amounts below are definitely flexible according to your taste. Also, you can find tortellini either in the refrigerated pasta section, or check the dry pasta aisle in your grocery store as you may be able to find it there as well.

Tortellini Soup

Saute in olive oil:
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced

Then add:
28 oz. of broth (vegetable or chicken)
10 oz. frozen, chopped spinach
1 grated carrot
1 or 2 cans of chopped Italian tomatoes
1 tsp oregano or basil or Italian seasoning or whatever you prefer
salt and pepper to taste

Heat this to boiling, then reduce heat and let simmer 10-15 minutes

Meanwhile, cook tortellini separately and add to the soup just before serving.
You can serve this with fresh Parmesan cheese if you like. And for company just add a big green salad and some garlic bread and you are all set!

A Good Start

On New Year's Day we headed over to my Grandma's house for some bean soup.

Then it was out into the cold, sunny weather to pick up pecans from the bumper crop my grandma's tree has produced this year.

Lots and lots of pecans:

Here's hoping for more good things in 2009!