are so happy

the girls like broccoli, but they LOVE broccoli rabe, which has been at the farmer’s market the past few weeks, and at the co-op too. sometimes it goes by the name rapini, depending on where you get it. it’s basically the first broccoli shoots of the year, when they are leggy and tender and sweet, before they get fat and budded out like the little trees of my childhood vegetable plate. the girls prefer the stems, actually, and i don’t blame them! this time of year, they are super sweet. i’ve been seeing kale rabe, too, which would be another awesome thing to have in this dish.

however- if you can’t get broccoli or kale rabe, or raab, or rapini, you can have a go at plain ol’ broccoli! it will still taste yummy, i’m sure.

broccoli polenta is the height of ease and natural gluten-free deliciousness. corny and green and yummy.

first, you’ll want to have your chopped up broccoli at the ready. i use anywhere from 2-4 cups of broccoli, cut up into quite small bits. smaller than peas, but not as small as lentils.

the polenta is cooked in boiling water, just like any other grain. the ratio is around four (water) to one (polenta). bring the salted water to a boil, then add the polenta while stirring with a whisk so that it doesn’t get all clumpy and stick to the bottom. i use a le creuset- a heavy pan will help it not to stick- but when i was in college i used what i had (think $1.99 at goodwill) and it turned out just fine. turn the heat to low and continue to whisk it about for a few minutes, another trick to keep it from sticking. add in the broccoli bits, cover and let cook at barely a simmer. stir, as they say, occasionally. give it about half an hour or so. if it gets clumpy, add some water. you want it to be smooth and thick, not clumpy. you can cook it longer if you like as long as you don’t let it stick or get clumpy.

be sure to taste for seasoning, but don’t burn your tongue! add salt if needed.

you can eat it soft, straight out of the pan (we usually do) or you can cool and mold it. or- you can do both and have one meal now and one later! there are a myriad of ways to mold it. i think the easiest is to put it in oiled muffin tins and pop it into the fridge. later, when you want to eat them, you can pan fry (this takes a bit more oil), broil, or bake at 350 degrees. or if you’re me, eat them straight out of the tins, standing in front of the fridge.

plate with tomato sauce, or butter, or nearly any type of cheese (clearly parmesan is the best, but who am i to say it sucks with cheddar?), or olive oil…pretty much whatever you’d put on pasta.

you can do this whole process without the broccoli and you have blank slate! slather with sauteed mushrooms! put it on a bed of spinach, top with a poached egg, and drizzle with pesto! try it with black beans and salsa! the sky’s the limit, people.

next up, rosemary cannelini!

so like i said, a recent meal (that everyone actually ate) was broccoli polenta. i served it with rosemary cannelini beans and a simple reduced tomato sauce. what i try to do at most meals is a legume, a grain, a veg, and a fruit. if you count tomatoes as the fruits they are, the above accomplishes that.

i can post a recipe for that meal, if anyone’s interested.

tonight i’m thinking crustless quiche with zucchini and chard, buttered rice, and some sort of fruit. this is because i haven’t gotten around to thinking about dinner until, um, now, an hour before we are going to eat.

also- i try to rotate grains as much as i can. one of the early pitfalls of going gluten free was A LOT of rice. i just wasn’t very well acquainted with grains in general then, something that’s definitely been remedied.

for the past couple of days’ worth of snacking we’ve been having lots of apples with almond butter or corn thins and carrots with a type of chickpea spread that is not a true hummus (again, recipe, anyone?).

and here is another reason why the cookbook is feeling like an insurmountable thing- i am a throw-it-together-without-regard-to-measurement kind of cook, which doesn’t really lend itself to recipe writing.

ok, enough chatting and on with the dinner prep!

for no real reason at all. well, maybe a little sleep deprived. birdie has terrible excema, poor baby, and until we got it under control (that took a couple of weeks at least) she wasn’t sleeping, um, ever. now she’s teething again, which would be hilarious if i were into ironic parenting.

other stuff:

• am obliquely considering writing a cookbook. i have a publisher who is interested but don’t think i have enough recipes. for that matter, i don’t think of myself as a writer, pretty much AT ALL. i’d be doing the photography, too.
• my sister is coming home for a visit! the cookbook is her idea, i can’t take any credit for it.
• bunny’s birthday is on its way, and after planning what i thought would be a very fun farm party, she has informed me that we will be having a kitty birthday at nana’s house. so that’s in the works, and will be fun, i think.
• birdie is so chatty these days! very fun to be able to communicate with her. she is such a funny little thing.
• farmer’s market is back in full swing and i am so GRATEFUL.
• also, we’re trying out the mostly vegetarian route, these days. pork’s off the list anyhow, and i cut out lamb and beef, even though we were getting pasture-fed, local meat. i just…still feel uncomfortable with the resources it takes to raise meat. i think bunny misses beef, but i’ve been trying to up her consumption of iron and protein in other ways and that seems to be helping. we’re still eating fish, though rarely, and still having chicken once a week.
• also? after a major sugar binge, i’m taking that out, too. for the record, that makes us gluten-, soy-, dairy-, refined-sugar-, pork-, beef-, lamb-, and assorted other meats-free.
• have been so inspired by our religious readings these days- really inspired! what a change from the stultifying religion of my youth. we’ve definitely found our spiritual home.

and now a break for some totally unrelated photos-

birdie’s first pigtails

a kiss from the mama

my new dogwood

sweet bunny

all tuckered out with lilacs and “helicopter hair”

her portrait of me with herself and birdie, on our chalkboard wall

i think soon i’ll do a post about what exactly we HAVE been eating. ’cause it’s actually been pretty yum. like broccoli rabe polenta with rosemary cannelini beans!

and i am just putting the finishing touch on lo-fi. awesome. expect a email from me soon asking for your address!

it was the mayfaire at our local waldorf school this weekend, as i’m sure it was at many, many waldorf schools everywhere. i was seriously hoping to get photos of bunny at the maypole- cuteness! but of course she was not interested in any of that business.

bubbles were a big hit, however. these are the first bubbles she’s been able to blow herself, a delight for both herself and her sister.

face painting. as always, she wanted to be a kitty.

playing under a parachute. SUPER fun.

actually, we all had a good time, despite the fact that we had already been to the farmer’s market and neither one of them had napped yet and it was already 1pm when i took these photos.

i still love the waldorf community. we’ve made some real friends there. bunny has finally gotten used to the idea of school. after telling me that first couple of weeks that she was “not impressed” with school, when we were on our way out there for the mayfaire, she told us that we were headed to her favorite! school! place! i think it’s helped that she has found some little friends of her own there.

however. i’m still not ready to send my little one anywhere for preschool. i still think it’s unnecessary, and that she’s too young. i may reconsider when first grade rolls around, but there are some other cool options here, too (have i already mentioned the muddy creek charter school?). and, you know, all of this has really renewed my interest in homeschooling, my original intention, after all.

more importantly, the pressure that i was feeling from friends and family is not so overwhelming anymore- maybe because they’ve seen that she doesn’t need it, or maybe just because i am feeling stronger about it. maybe a combination of both.

at any rate, i’m beginning to reread my john holt, even though i know i’m years away from needing any of the information. any other good homeschooling books to recommend? krista? help a girl out

{lots of photos ahead}

a hike at peavy arboretum and a trip to agfest with a friend!

wild lilies

a stop-the-paparazzi moment

bunny’s famous “mad eyes happy mouth” face

daddy love

cute goat

funny donkey

sweet horse

pony petting

nursing piggies!!!

on a horse and carriage ride

riding a tractor

this is a LONG OVERDUE thank-you post for the lovely goodies we got during our little swap.

long overdue because i was waiting to do a double-duty post, thanking erika and showing what we finally got out to her, but after the picnic set debacle, and sending out another parcel that didn’t make it, i am about to send yet another package, and regardless of the outcome, i want to say thanks.

because the girls? loved it!

really, how could you not love a package just for you, with books and pipes and insect catchers and PLAYDOUGH inside???

although erika, you will laugh- their favorite thing was actually the lengths of pipe. my funny girls.

thanks again, and again, and again. what a treat to get to know you.

well, peeps, i’m in the mixtape mood again. as promised, this is a totally lo-fi, no guilt affair- there is no fancy packaging, no song list, no nuthin but some good tunes on a cd and a letter, straight from me to you.

first 25 people to comment on this post get one, and trust me when i tell you i’m a mean mixtaper.

as if i’ve ever had 25 people comment. hee!

not much going on here outwardly- the same cycles of sleeping, waking, eating that are a part of all our lives. some crazy weather that i know you’re all experiencing, too.

a little crocheting has been going on- i picked up my ripple afghan again from when i began it in the initial ripple afghan frenzy that was perpetuated by the popularity of alicia’s. it’s not as nice as hers is, mostly because i managed to change crochet hook sizes inadvertently in the middle, resulting in a big patch of WAY off gauge work, but it is pretty, and warm, and soft, and made out of cashmerino. so really, i’m still loving it. i’m thinking that my next project needs to be the babette. i even bought the magazine when it was on the stands, thinking that i would make it someday. i’m on a knitting hiatus for now, finding the rhythm of crochet really soothing.

i’ve been doing some volunteer photography work for a really wonderful organization called ten rivers food web, and keep meaning to post about it (and more extensively, about my commitment to local food), but i’m either too lazy to do it or sort of feel like the idea has been played out. i’ve read so much about it- books, articles, blogs- i just want to do this one thing well but not remarkably, you know? i just want to do it and not talk about it all the time.

it’s just a part of our lives to not buy bananas, to grow (at least a little of) what we eat, to shop at the farmer’s market and co-op, to support our local farmers. the volunteer project is exciting for me because i’m going to be going out to actually visit the farms in question and bring my vision of them back into the community. but largely i’m doing it because i want to normalize eating locally, both for me and for others in my community. something so elemental shouldn’t be so revolutionary.

other interesting things have been going on even more inwardly, as well. i’ve been thinking a lot about the interconnectedness of spirituality and sustainablity, between religion and responsibility. i grew up a sort of unaffliated type of charismatic baptist, and i’ve never been happy with it. for all its emphasis on jesus there didn’t seem to be much emphasis on god, and for all its show it always felt flimsy. i spent a lot of my twenties as a spiritual seeker, flitting from catholicism to buddhism to new-age pop psychology, and then abandoned it all, thinking that i would never find a perfect fit, and what did it matter anyway?

however, my husband and i both felt a renewed interest after having children- i think there is something about having children of your own that reconnects you to your spiritual self. raising children is so moving, so demanding, so timeless and huge. we also feel the pull to be involved in a spiritual community in a way we had never considered before. hence our short stint at the unitarian church when we were in portland. we’ve considered the unitarian church here, too, but have a lot of the same issues with it that i did with the “religion” of my upbringing.

there’s a lot to think about, and it feels even more personal to talk about my thoughts on religion that it does to reveal my bouts with severe depression. why is that? again, i feel the pull to normalize. to live it, not talk about it (although i guess for me living it does involve talking about it, to some extent). to be able to say that god is just a part of my life, like kale, or singing lullabies, or walking in the rain.

whew. heavy stuff, today. and i thought i didn’t have anything to say.

on a lighter note, my girls are BFF. the adoration has no end. just a couple of days ago, out of nowhere, birdie laid her head on bunny’s chest and said, “love oo!”

and that is a pretty awesome state of normal, if you ask me.

so. am feeling badly about my original school post. after attending again on friday, i have had to swallow my original judgemental fears and rethink the whole thing. here is why:

• totally connected with one of the other moms, more than i have with any mom since i became one.
• found myself genuinely enjoying friday’s class. opening up and chatting with others. this is unprecendented, people.
• teacher was so nice and super accomodating about the gluten thing, and is going to be bringing it to the next teacher’s meeting to increase awareness about celiac for the whole school. um, wow.

uh, yeah. i guess that’s all i have to say about that. not too many points to make this time.

funnily enough, it was also when we went this time how much i realized bunny DOES NOT need this. she is totally happy at home, with her sister (and her sister misses her like crazy when she’s gone). she doesn’t really get anything out of being there, is not particularly impressed by their toys or games or songs. we have toys and games and plenty of singing here (and much of it the same or similar to the waldorf school), so why would she care? the other children are quite a bit younger- not necessarily in age, but in other ways, so she sort of wanders around aimlessly, wanting to interact with the others in a meaningful way but not having the opportunity to.

she did enjoy the puppet show, but that’s about it. i don’t know if a handful of puppet shows is really worth $250. i definitely don’t think she’ll be going to waldorf preschool, which if you ask me is just way too much to ask out of a tiny person, especially when i don’t need for her to be watched or taken off my hands for any reason. four days a week for four hours a day seems like a LOT for a 3 year old.

now, i know that there are plenty of people out there- probably even some people reading this right now- who have their kids in more school, or care, than that, and their kids are happy and fine, but every parent and every child is different. what is right for you may not be right for me or for bunny. in fact, what’s right for bunny may or may not be right for birdie.

yes. so.

to sum up: i loved it. bunny, not so much.

what a turnaround, huh?

and that humble pie? tastes kind of like strawberry rhubarb to me.

as some of you know, we are a one car family. i’m totally happy with this and can’t imagine having two cars! we got rid of our second car about the same time as we had our first child and never looked back. i spent a lot of time on foot, or on MAX, and if we needed to go somewhere in the car, we just waited until we could all go together. when we moved to another city, we needed a second car even less- things here are all within what i would call walking range (i like to walk!). but with two little ones, i was suddenly feeling the need for something that was a little quicker and could hold more groceries than the double stroller. so i started poking around the internets and came across the bakfiet.

the bakfiet is essentially the dutch bicycle answer to the minivan. it can carry one, two, even several kids, plus groceries. it’s stable and easy to ride, and the placement of the kids makes it so you can talk, pass them snacks, whatever. seriously the most awesome thing ever. the girls adore it. birdie took a bit getting used to the helmet, but bunny begs for a ride every day.

we got ours at clever cycles in our old town of choice, which is such a rad store. beautiful lurking in every corner, including a whole line of baskets to trick out your bike (and my super cool sunflower helmet). they are so nice there, too. plus they have lots of other really amazing bikes. even commuter bikes that fold up totally tiny.

the bakfiet is just so well thought out. every detail makes it easy to ride and beautiful. enclosed chain case, walkthrough instep, integral lock (no more chaining up your bike!), three point harnesses for the kiddos, the list goes on and on. it even came with a bell! we added on the cushy seat, which is handmade by a friend of the owners, and the rain cover. because, come on. we live in the northwest.

the bikes are a little pricey, but when you think of it as a replacement for a second car, it seems totally cheap. it’s a very reasonable car price, with no insurance to pay or oil changes to do or gasping with shock every time you fill the tank. plus, think of all the benefits to your health and the environment! we truly love it and i secretly wish for the day when every family will have one.

if you have any other bike-related questions, fire away! i’ll do what i can to answer them. more photos of bakfietsen here.