This week's dinner table. Part Two.

Perhaps this was not the best week to write about dinners since Mike and I will have shared ONE dinner together in the span of Sunday to Sunday... but we both ate, nevertheless.

When I last wrote, we were having White Bean and Chard Soup with Brown Bread. It was good. And that bread made some delicious toast. Especially with homemade blackberry jam. Just ask Christopher!

Wednesday night there were eggs on the dinner table. I have a new scrambling technique thanks to a tip from a friend. Don't laugh - we've all had nasty, dry, brown scrambled eggs before, right? There is a way to make them to absolute perfection. And I intend to try them as indicated on the linked website: piled on top of thick toast smeared with goat cheese. I added a little crumbled queso fresco and a side of greens with broccoli and sunflower seeds.

Thursday night brought leftover soup back to the table with the end of the brown bread (I'll be making that again very soon!) with green salad. It was Thursday. It's all I could muster.

Today is Friday and it's effing cold out there. When we woke up this morning the radio reported a temp of -4... but with the windchill? Oh yeah... it *felt* like -22 out there. The RealFeel vs. ActualTemp thing always amazes me. Why bother with "Actual"??? CRAZY! It didn't change our normal routine, but the furnace sure is getting a workout. The oven has been adding warmth and good smells by baking a few loaves of sandwich bread.

Later tonight for dinner: Broccoli and Cremini Mushroom Casserole (not quite the casserole mama used to make - this is out of The New Moosewood Cookbook), Mashed Potatoes (comfort for the low temps) and Green Salad. We do love salad.

Next week I intend to bring in a little soy protein via a killer tofu lasagna that I've been promised. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Food for a new year

One of my New Year's resolutions (I say that with every grain of salt possible) is to try to cook some new things around here. This week, I'm going to write about dinners.

I've also been doing a little meal planning. It makes the grocery shopping more focused, keeps the bottom line down, and helps prevent the 5:30pm glazed-over look on my face as I stare into the refrigerator waiting for dinnertime inspiration to jump out at me.

Hey! Cook me!
It never seems to happen.

Last night: Frittata with swiss chard and goat cheese, green salad with chopped almonds and a sliced, roasted, red beet. The swiss chard was tender without being soggy, and the goat cheese - well, I've never met bad goat cheese. It was damn good.

Tonight: White bean soup with more swiss chard ('tis the season and it's sooo good for you!), Irish Mum's Brown Bread from 101Cookbooks.com, and roasted carrots and broccoli.

This afternoon: well, SOMEONE ate all of the maple pecan granola from TJ's, so I'm left with nothing to do but make some of my own. The smell reminds me of our second apartment in Copenhagen because that's where I first started making my own granola. And the weather outside matches, too. Oh, bittersweet nostalgia.

Standing-ish ovation.

While changing Christopher's diaper today, I was singing "Twinkle, twinkle, little star." Just as the song ended, he got a huge smile on his face, clapped his little hands together and said, "Yay, Mama!"

Be still my heart. I need to sing to that kid more often.

So, it's been a while since I last updated. I must say that though our holidays were delightfully relaxed (aside from a major insulation installation project which remains 75% completed), it seems that even the most relaxed of holidays still leave a person in a very vulnerable state when the reality of Normal reappears after New Year's. That is to say - last Monday caught us off guard and this past week was a looooong one.

Christopher and I made some killer wheat germ banana bread, started up with our Wiggleworms class again, had a few playdates, and took a very brisk walk one morning to the grocery store in about 8 degree weather. Don't worry about Christopher, he has a sleeping bag-like insert plus a parka plus hat/mittens/blanket and a "weather shield" which makes him look like the Boy in the Bubble. He fell asleep in his pod of coziness and I kept warm by moving quickly. It was actually very nice and a few flurries fell on us just before we got home.

Mike is teaching two courses this quarter and attending numerous dinners for departmental visitors, the president of the university (la dee da!), and recruiting weekends.

Winter is a busy time for Mike's work calendar, so we try to stay equally busy at home. As one of my friends said yesterday, "It's Cat in the Hat weather." Truly. If you don't get out at least once a day - no matter the destination or weather! - you start to feel a little goofy.

Animals are front and center on the Christopher agenda. Most importantly: the sounds they make and the places they live (Big Red Barn is a current favorite). To encourage further exploration of the wonderous farm animal kingdom, I found an awesome recording of Ella Fitzgerald singing Old MacDonald, and Santa's gift of a wooden farm animal puzzle is completed many, many times each day. A winter visit to Wagner Farm is in order for this week... if it doesn't snow too much!

Stay warm and Happy New Year to you all!