The Adventure

A promise is a promise.  Here are the pictures of my finished project that I pledged to share.  I am sold on hats thanks to this free pattern.  If you've been lacking crocheting motivation, a little project like this is just the thing to get you back in the game.  Take it from me.  

I had been wanted very much to write a little post earlier this week, but life (and children) came crashing round my ears.  There are periods of time where I feel like I'm on top of my game.  I got it all figured out.  Kids?  Pish!  No sweat!  Queue the times where everything falls apart and suddenly I'm back to square one.  It's almost like being a teenager with raging hormones again.  Almost.  Except I'm an adult.  With little ones depending on me.  Plus my hormones only rage when I'm pregnant.  And even then, they are much more subdued.  

So yes, this week was one of those times.  My body automatically kicked into survival mode: finish meals, feed kids, do laundry, break up fighting, bathe monkeys (optional?), etc.  It wasn't pretty, my friends.  But I have D, and he's literally my other half.  At least, at the end of the day, he's there with me.  And that's a very comforting thought.  

To top it off, I spent another week lamenting the delays to my dream balcony garden.  After all, time is ticking and seeds need all the care they can get.  After hearing friends speak about their gardens, the panic started creeping in.  Would I be able to grow anything at all?  Would this year be another failure?  Would I ever have a little garden to tend with the two monkeys?  With these questions swirling in the back of my thoughts, I was absolutely flabbergasted when D told me this week that not only would I get a garden, he was going to make sure we had a real full out, in-the-ground, plot-of-land garden!  

But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself a little.  I am excitable like that.  (Especially when it comes to gardening!)  Obviously it's not very common to have a garden when you live in a condo building, unless it's a community garden.  Or a rooftop garden.  And yet, here we are without either.  What gives?  Allow me to start at the beginning...

This week, D's work told him that they'd be terminating his contract early due to outsourcing.  It wasn't entirely unexpected, but it still took us by surprise.  We sat and talked together a lot in the evenings after that.  Not so much about work, but about our dreams.  Life passes by quickly, especially when you're distracted with young children.  Before you know it *poof!* you're 30 (shhh!) and you don't know where the time went.  We've been married for 5 years (!) and our lives have become a comfortable, predictable routine.  But it' not one that we want in so many ways.  Life has become for us something like sleepwalking.  (Although, that could be due to J waking up so much at night teething...)  

So we talked.  And talked.  And the more we talked, the more we resolved to carpe diem.  How?  By going on a 6 month vacation to Lebanon, obviously!  It's actually a pretty neat and tidy solution to our little conundrum.  Low expense staying with family, the chance to sit back and reevaluate our lives and the direction we want to take, a little R&R for D's carpel tunnel and other related health problems.  

So, my friends, in mid-June, our adventure will commence!  (And if you know me, you know that I'll be pushing for a side-trip to Europe too...)  Imagine what the monkeys are going to get out of this!  A generous taste of the world outside our four-walled apartment.  The richness of traditions and family overseas.  The gift of language.  Did I mention a garden?  How fun is that!?  

By this point, I'm sure you've realized that I'm finding it tough to organize coherent thoughts, but I figured it would be good to give you at least a general sense of what I'm feeling right now.  I'm excited.  I'm trepidatious (did I just make up a new word?).  And I'm pretty darn pumped to be planting a real live garden!  (Whoo!)  Here's to the summer and beyond!

A chocolate toast

Happy Wednesday to all.  Hope the sunshine is warming you as much as it's heating up my living room!  (How much do I love not having to use our thermostat!?  Hmm, maybe not as much as our landlord...)  Anyhow, a toast!  A toast to all mothers, children, fathers, friends and foes!  (What?  I'm feeling magnanimous today!)  

May you always have work for your hands to do.
May your pockets hold always a coin or two.
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.
May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

And may you always have a little chocolate somewhere for when life gets a little rough.  So then, I give you a little pick-me-up for rough times.  And who doesn't love a little chocolate indulgence every now and then?  (Non chocolate fans please note, that was a rhetorical question.)  I love cutting these brownies into relatively bite-sized pieces.  Makes me feel less guilty for having 3 or 4... or 10.  *sigh*  I am working on the sweet tooth thing.  Really.  It's just that sweets like to work on me too...

In other non-food news, I have some excellent tidings!  I have started and almost finished a crocheting project!  I know, right?  Nothing short of miraculous.  It's a hat, but not just any hat.  A sweet little baby hat with ears and earflaps and all-round cuteness.  I don't know why I didn't just start with hats.  They're way faster, and therefore motivating!  I sat down and the bulk of the hat was finished in an hour or so.  People, I am not a crochet whiz.  I am your typical beginner who is forced to google things like "slip stitch" and so on for demonstrations.  

I won't post pictures until the weekend, since it is a gift for a the baptism of a friend's baby.  :o)  I love making gifts.  So happy I found this pattern in time!  :o)  Be sure this project will be enumerated upon very soon...

In the meantime, happy chocolate dreams!

CHOCOLATE FUDGE BROWNIES

1/2 cup butter

6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/4 cups flour

Fudge topping:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 Tbsp butter, softened

2 Tbsp hot water

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease an 8" square pan.  (I don't have, so I used 2 loaf pans and adjusted the cooking time accordingly.)  Line with parchment or wax paper.  Melt butter and chocolate over low heat in a double boiler until smooth.  Let mixture cool slightly.  Add sugar.  Mix in vanilla and eggs.  Fold in flour with spatula until uniform.  Pour into pan(s) and bake for 25-30 minutes until set.  (If using loaf pans, bake for about 15-18 mins.)  Remove from oven and let cool before removing from pan.  

Sift together sugar and cocoa powder.  Place butter in a well in the centre.  Add hot water to well and stir mixture until it reaches spreading consistency.  Ice brownie with fudge and let harden for 10-20 minutes.  

Leftovers with style!

After a little nudge from a few well-wishers, I have decided to post a picture of my afgan-in-progress.  Someday it shall be an afgan.  Someday.  If you lack motivation yourself, I do recommend you visit Kristen and check out her recently-completed blanket.  She's quite a whiz with needles.  Needless to say, I'm sure you won't be back here for yarn advice...

In other news, our balcony garden had to be postponed due to a bout of teething.  I'm all for shouldering along, but some days... let me just say it takes a Herculean effort to make it through the day.  Let me just say the latter half of this past week has been a little rough.  So much for smooth sailing!

Something did go right for us last week though.  Oh yes.  Ever so nicely.  My take on taquitos in fact.  It went something like this: I was craving something cheesy (47 days of no dairy can do that to a person) but had quite a bit of chicken leftovers to use up.  Queue this pinterest photo and I was in business!  Except... I didn't have any tortillas lying around and I definitely wasn't going to drive out to the grocery store to buy some.  Enter pita bread.

I must say that these are to-die-for-delicious and not to mention easy-peesy.  Chopped spinach, shredded cheddar, green onions, and leftover chicken.  And baked instead of fried?  The health gurus would approve!

So, next time you have some leftover chicken that looks less than exciting, try these crispy, cheesy babies out and the world will make sense once again.

Disclaimer: This is a recipe for leftover chicken or any meat in fact!  If you're making chicken specifically to try this recipe out, I suggest baking your chicken in the oven with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper.  Once the chicken is done, shred it or cut it up into bite-sized chunks.  Also, my quantities are deliberately vague because it's all about your taste.  This is one recipe where you can throw away your spoons and embrace unscientific experimentation.  Just make sure you don't forget the cheese!  

CHEESY CHICKEN TAQUITOS

baked or leftover chicken, shredded (about 2-3 breasts' worth)
200g cheddar cheese, shredded or grated (feel free to up the cheese quotient!)
5-8 Tbsp tzatziki (I'm betting sour cream would work, but the garlic was magic...)
1 bunch spinach, washed and chopped
2-3 stalks green onions, chopped
about 3-4 loaves thin pita bread (white or whole wheat are nice, just don't use Greek pita)

Take each loaf of pita bread and separate it into two halves.  Spread 1 Tbsp (or more) or tzatziki in the middle.  Take shredded chicken pieces and line up along tzatziki trail.  Sprinkle spinach, onions and cheese on top.  Roll up into a tight sandwich and bake in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 10-12 minutes.  Serve hot.  Makes 6-8 sandwiches.

Oh glorious cake

I'm not always very consistent when it comes to writing here.  Sometimes sporadic is the best I can manage.  These past few days have been a pleasant exception.  I don't know why.  This week has been one of peace thus far.  And lots of outdoor time with little paws eager to leave no rock or leaf unturned in their quest to discover secrets that nature hides delicately under her buds and blooms.  

Someone recently asked if I had a routine with the kids.  The answer is a resounding YES.  My kids don't do well without some kind of structure to their days.  Of course we're dreadfully flexible within our schedule.  It's a very comfortable freedom.  Or freeing comfort.  Whichever you prefer.  

Our days begin with J.  She is our rooster.  And if rooster sleeps in, so do we all.  I personally am a great fan of mornings when rooster sleeps in.  :o)  After our morning routine is finished - usually takes an hour or so - it's quick chore time.  Often we cook or prepare dinner during this window.  Then it's play time which nowadays means outside time.

This morning, during our work time, we made a lemon blackberry cake.  Last night I opened the fridge and found a carton of old blackberries hiding behind some containers.  Boo.  I hate when things hide in my fridge.  Luckily, these were still ok.  Even more luck, we had a cup of yogurt left in the tub that was still within expiry date territory.  And that, my friends is how our lemon blackberry yogurt loaf cake was born, a variation on its cousin the Lemon-Blueberry Yogurt Loaf.  My very favourite kind of cake.  The kind that is born to glorify what would have been wasted.  

The cake wasn't overly sweet.  It'd be a nice breakfast accompaniment to coffee or tea.  Or a mid-morning snack prior to heading outside!  We initially made it with a lemon syrup under the glaze, but I found that it overpowered the cake flavours with its tartness and was at best unnecessary.  The glaze is a welcome accent, though I have no doubt the cake can stand on its own.  I leave that up to you.  As for me and my house?  We glaze.  

LEMON BLACKBERRY CAKE

1 1/2 cups + 1 Tbsp flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup yogurt

2/3 cup sugar

3 large eggs

2 tsp grated lemon zest (about 1 large lemon)

1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup sunflower oil

1 cup blackberries (or blueberries)

Glaze:

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp water

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a loaf pan and lightly flour.  Sift flour and baking powder together.  Whisk yogurt, sugar, eggs, vanilla, zest and oil together.  Add in the dry ingredients slowly and mix well.  In a small bowl, coat berries with 1 Tbsp flour.  Fold berries gently into batter.  Pour into loaf pan and bake for about 55 minutes until toothpick comes out clean from the centre.  Remove from pan after 10 minutes and allow to cool fully.

Whisk glaze ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth.  Drizzle or spread uniformly over the top of the cake.  Allow glaze to harden about 20 minutes before serving.

UPDATE: We had this cake the morning after and it was scrumptious!  Don't know why, but it got better with an overnight sit in the fridge.  Go figure...

Bright Tuesday

It feels like everything around us is budding and sprouting and blooming.  We went for a jaunt outside and it looked like some bored artist swabbed bits of colour all over. 

Beautiful and somehow therapeutic.  

Today we rest.  After a long week of work, we rest.  And enjoy all the food from our feast(s).  And the memories.  Yes indeed, I am full to the brim.  In every way.  

Now I can turn my attention to our balcony garden.  Time for soil and dirt and fertilizer and seeds.  Time for little hands to plant and wield the watering can (with supervision!).  Or jug, as the case may be.  I can see it now: a few tomato plants sprouting alongside the parsley.  And onions.  No garden is a garden without onions.  Perhaps some herbs too - mint and oregano and basil.  All the fixings for garnishes, salads, and barbecued-fare accompaniments.

That reminds me.  I think it's a good day to make ground beef skewers (or kefta as the Lebanese call them).  No barbeque have we, but these do just fine in the oven.  Perfect for a sit down dinner, or for an on-the-go lunch.  We enjoy these any way they come.  In my humble opinion, they are best served with fresh tomatoes in a pita bread sandwich with garlic sauce.  Oh, and try to use thin pita bread.  It makes a difference for some obscure reason.  I suspect it creates the perfect balance between meat and bread without allowing one to overpower the other.  That matters, you know.  Unless of course you just slather your sandwich with garlic sauce.  Then nothing matters.  Just be sure you aren't going a-visiting afterwards.  No amount of toothpaste will help you out of this one.  :o)

KEFTA KEBABS (GROUND BEEF SKEWERS)

Makes about 20 large skewers

1 kg lean or medium ground beef (extra lean doesn't hold together very well...)

1/2 -2/3 bunch fresh parsley, washed and stems cut off

2 large onions

1/2 tsp allspice

3 tsp salt

Put onion in food processor and blend until finely diced.  Place in a large bowl.  Take parsley and blend in food processor until finely chopped.  Put in bowl with onions.  Add ground beef, allspice and salt.  Mix well with hands until mixture is well combined and uniform.

Pinch off a piece of meat and roll it into a long log between your hands.  Alternately, form a long log around a long wooden skewer.  Place on a foil-covered tray and repeat until all the meat is finished.  Bake at 350 degrees C for about 10-15 minutes until meat is nicely browned.  Turn over halfway through.  (Cut through one log to make sure it is cooked.)  Don't overcook or meat will dry out.  Enjoy hot atop rice and grilled veggies, or alongside fries and a salad, or solo in a sandwich.  

An insufficient glimpse of our weekend

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  Here are a handful of pictures of our weekend.  That ought to be enough words to outdo anything I could write - especially as a tired mom.  

Christ is risen!

A Solemn Day

Icon of Christ's burial by Theophanes of Crete

"O thou who puttest on light like a robe, when Joseph, with Nicodemus, brought thee down from the Tree and beheld thee dead, naked and unburied, he mourned outwardly and grievously, crying to thee with sighs and saying, 'Woe is me, O sweet Jesus, whom but a while ago, when the sun beheld suspended upon the Cross, it was shrouded in darkness, the earth quaked with fear and the veil of the Temple was rent asunder.  Albeit, I see that thou willingly endurest death for my sake.  How then shall I array thee, my God?  How shall I wrap thee with linen?  Or what dirges shall I chant for thy funeral?  Wherefore, O compassionate Lord, I magnify thy Passion, and praise thy Burial with thy Resurrection, crying, 'Lord glory to thee.''"

(Apostical Doxasticon of Good Friday)

Gastronomical alchemy

In the spirit of good sportsmanship, scientific advancement, and all around fun, I decided to make another batch of maamoul using a different recipe.  I feel it is only fair as there are dozens of variations on this delectable treat and I've only begun to scratch the surface.  I'm on a quest to find and create the best maamoul.  Plus, I received a few comments from some Lebanese friends who were shocked that I used flour.  (Also a few who wondered why I didn't use mahlab...)

So....

Maamoul round 2!

This recipe is a modified combination of two (maybe more?) recipes from here and here.  Why modify?  Because I am a scientist.  That's what I do.  I modify things.  For fun.  For science!  (Plus, I didn't have coarse semolina on hand... and, I love butter.)

Anyhow, I am happy to report that this recipe is much easier than the previous one I attempted.  Less room to botch things up.  (Now I understand why dem Lebanese were so shocked!)  As for the taste... it was like biting into buttery shortbread with a slight nutty undertone.  (Mahlab is subtle like that...)  The verdict?  They were both delicious, but I think I like this one better.  It's easier.  And a half notch tastier.  Hurray for scientific experimentation and gastronomical alchemy!

Before introducing you to my new recipe though, and for some random fun, here are a few fun Easter/spring crafts that I love!

• A creative twist on the traditional Easter basket... no?  (Also loving the other tutorials at the bottom of the post!)
• This plastic bottle owl from Craftberry Bush and featured on The Crafty Crow.
• These clear art stamps from Crafty Secrets
• I'm pretty sure that Easter Cookie Pots are the best way to gift cookies.  Just imagine if you received one all done up like that!

Ok.  Now I've got that out of my system, on to the recipe!

FLOURLESS MAAMOUL

*Note, as this recipe contains both cream of wheat and semolina, it is, unfortunately, not gluten free. :o(

Dough:

5 1/2 cups fine semolina

1 1/2 cups cream of wheat

2 cups butter, melted

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp mahlab

3/4 - 1 cup orange blossom water

Filling:

2 1/2 cups walnuts

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tbsp orange blossom water

Mix first 4 ingredients together.  Add melted butter and combine well until mixture resembles a crummy dough.  Add 1/2 cup of orange blossom water and knead dough well.  Continue adding orange blossom water 1 Tbsp at a time until dough is sticky and cohesive.  (As Bethany mentions, the dough should be sticky, but not stick to your hands.)  

Set aside to rest for 3 hours.  (This helps the soften the semolina and cream of wheat.)  While waiting, prepare filling by dumping everything into your food processor and blending for a bit until it looks coarsely ground.

Knead dough briefly.  Pinch off a small walnut sized piece of dough and flatten with palms.  Place a generous spoon of filling in the middle and pinch the edges together to seal.  Place ball in a lightly floured (or semolina-ed) maamoul mold and press well.  Tap mold firmly on counter top or palm to release cookie.  

Place on baking tray and bake at 400 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes.  The colour should be pale gold, but not golden.  Remove, let cool and then sprinkle with powdered sugar.  

FYI: Apparently these babies will keep up to one month outside of the refrigerator if well sealed!  Bonus!  (That might not be a problem though since they don't usually last that long.  At least not in our house.)  Happy eating!

Happiness

I am popping by today because I feel compelled to share something short and sweet.  You see, I found a very beautiful quote today, courtesy of a friend.  It was very peaceful and uplifting to read, and I'm sure  it will bring you the same sentiments.  (Also, I wanted to share the recipe for a salad dressing that receives pretty rave reviews each time it appears on our table.)  Hope you enjoy both!

" I often lie awake at night from happiness, and all the time think of our future life together. I have lived through much, but now I have found what is needed for happiness. A quiet secluded life in the country with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to having it done to them; work which one hopes might be of some use; rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbor- such is my idea of happiness."

(Leo Tolstoy, Family Happiness and Other Stories)

(Incidentally, this dressing is my idea of happiness too!)  

LEMON GARLIC SALAD DRESSING

2 cloves garlic

1/2 - 1 tsp salt

1/4 cup lemon juice (works well with fresh or bottled)

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Combine lemon juice, oil and salt in a small jar or container.  (I use an old baby food jar, or a small jam jar.)  Mash garlic cloves with mortar and pestle until reduced to a smooth pulp.  Add garlic to jar.  Shake well and drizzle on a salad.  

* Here's a little salad inspiration as an added bonus: romaine lettuce, baby spinach, tomatoes, fresh mint, cucumbers, chopped avocado pieces.  Drizzle lemon garlic dressing on top and toss.  And eat.  And smile with delight.  Then eat some more.  :o)

It's Monday & we're home

We're back from a very special visit to Montreal.  Thank you, dear family, for your kindness, hospitality and love.  (And for the delicious food!)

The kids loved this trip, even with the long car ride, which wasn't as bad as I was anticipating.  Despite the sudden chillies, there were signs of spring everywhere.  Green grass cropping up everywhere, flower shoots peeking through the soil, trees shyly showing their little buds, the water happily gurgling away.  It was soothing to watch.  I felt as though my soul was chapped from the winter winds and spring's humble entrance was like a nourishing balm.  

The whole weekend, J was showered with attention.  And she loved every minute.  At the monastery, she spent hours in the kitchen going from nun to nun.  They fed her ice cream and pineapple... and anything else they were working on I imagine.  And here I was worrying that she would be hungry!  Then we went to visit D's cousin, Rana.  J had a willing audience there as well.  She would take Rana's hand and lead her where she wanted to go.  Or she would command Rana to take her here or there (using incoherent baby babble of course).    

While less fond of attention than his sister, my son had no less of a good time.  He loved the tractor.  Please show me a little boy who doesn't love tractors.  He loved exploring the world outdoors and was happiest tramping around with his backpack on.  

Needless to say, both kids loved the chickens.  

Speaking of chickens reminds me of eggs.  I must share this recipe I found via Jill at Elliemoon.  These are ridiculously cute homemade Cadbury creme eggs that I'm itching to try.  Thankfully, they're apparently not nearly as hard as they look, which makes them fabulous in my books!  If I'm not able to make them in time for Sunday, I think I'll still attempt them for M's birthday.  We shall see.

Since it is now Great and Holy Week - the week leading up to Easter - I think it is fitting for me to end this post with a reflection of sorts.  I hope you have a restful Monday.

"...When He (Christ) found wandering in the mountains and hills the one sheep that had strayed from God's flock or a hundred, He brought it back into the fold, but He did not exhaust it by driving it ahead of Him.  Instead, He placed it on His own shoulders, and so, compassionately, He restored it safely to the flock."  


St. Maximos the Confessor (+ 662 A.D.)

Festive glimpse...

I leave two sweet pictures of the monkeys before the weekend.  Getting ready for Montreal and Palm Sunday...

Big plans

Lots of bustle going on here.  Baking and planning and story telling.  (Can't have a day without reading a story to the kids.  Or reciting one from memory.  Or composing one on the spot -   preferably one with a moral relevant to certain pertinent behaviours...)  For some reason, this is usually accompanied by "fort" making.  Hidden nooks for little people.

My nook is the kitchen.  Our ridiculously tiny cozy kitchen.  Lots of baking coming up for Pascha and the feasting following thereof.  Our Easter is a week belated, so while most of you are celebrating this weekend, I am gifted with another week to prepare.  So yes, there's a lot of planning what to bake right now.

In other non-food news: Spring is creeping up on us and I am bound and determined that we will have a window box garden!  ...Or balcony box garden as the case may be.  Other projects in queue include:

• Sew a messenger bag for Michael where he can store all the rocks, acorns, shells, etc that he comes across on our walks.  I'm thinking either denim or canvas.  Something hardy.  Boys are like that...
• Decorate our "Collection" jar.  This is simply a plastic jar we use to store the treasures we find during our outdoor adventures.  I'd love to personalize it though.  Looks a little shabby.  :o(
• Figure out a menu for Pascha day.  Do we go all out for breakfast?  Should I combine lunch and dinner if it comes to that?  And oh what should we make!?  
• No list would be complete without featuring my blankets.  I need to finish crocheting at least one of the baby blankets.  Progress is still slow.  As you can see, I've changed to yellow to blue.  (Gender is known...)  Otherwise, progress is still slow.  

I doubt very much if I'll be able to post anything before next week.  We are heading to Montreal on Friday for a weekend visit with my sister and D's cousin.  A very exciting and trepidation-filled adventure.  How is J going to handle a 6 hour car ride?   We shall see.  And quite soon at that.  Wish me luck.  Or patience.  Or a stiff drink.  ;o)

So.  If indeed delayed I be in posting, I wish you, though somewhat in advance, an especially joyous weekend!