Two Recipes Kids Hate...Which Means Yum

1.  French Dip

4 pounds rump roast

1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth

1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French onion soup

1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer

6 French rolls

 

Put the first four ingrediants in a slow cooker and cook on low for seven hours.  Couldn't be easier.

 

 

2.  Avocado and Grilled Corn Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette

5 Ears Corn, husk removed, brush with olive oil and grilled, remove corn with sharp knife
2 Avocado’s, diced and sprinkled with lemon juice to prevent browning
2 C. Tomatoes, red and yellow cherry variety or equivalent
1 Small red onion, finely diced
¾ C. Feta, crumbled
1 ½ C. English cucumber, skin on and chopped small dice

Add to a large bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cilantro Vinaigrette

6 T. Olive oil

2 T. Sherry vinegar
1 t. Garlic powder
2 T. Fresh cilantro, minced
½ t. Salt
10 Grinds of fresh ground pepper

Add all of the above ingredients in a small glass jar with a lid. Shake really well. Taste and adjust seasoning and ratios of oil and vinegar as you desire.

***MISSING***

Perhaps we should take out a classified ad because bed times and bath times have been missing for the last two weeks.  Come to think of it, rational thought has not been seen either.  School has been closed for the last seventeen days.  Lolo, Lola and Mimi genererously helped fill in the gaps for childcare.  The kids have been able to spend long, leisurely days with their grandparents.  Pajamas have been worn well past breakfast and bed times were even relaxed.  "Clean" meant a washcloth foot bath before bed.  As if clean feet could excuse the marshmallows in the hair or the remanence of ice cream that dripped on legs and forearms.  For the first time in four years, Jerry and I felt like we could let go (perhaps just a bit) of the parenting reigns.  We let our hair down, alright, maybe just a few tendrils, and said "yes".  "Yes" to the invitation to jump, climb and slide with our kids at Pump it Up and "yes" to a late night visit to the Children's Museum.  We said "yes" to a street party in Wicker Park and "yes" to popsicles and cupcakes for dinner.  Not to say that we didn't pay the consequences...dearly...but it was less of a parental hangover than it once was.  So excitedly we rolled down the window and sucked up the last of what the summer of 2012 has to offer. 

Next thing I knew they wanted to magnify their heineys...

Requisite Awkward First Day of "School" Photo

For Ella it's the first day of her last year of preschool. We watched as the new kindergarten class walked to Mann School last week. Backpacks and nervous anticipation...made me thankful for the familiarity of Concordia for the next twelve months.  Viv graduates to a new classroom and it is here where she will retire her diaper.  Goddess of Bladder and Bowel control, please keep us in your prayers.  Ella looks forward to a leadership role in her Montesorri based classroom...although that "skill" has been honed for years.  We returned this morning marking this fresh start with armfuls of supplies; boxes of Kleenex and Bandaids, markers and toothpaste.  Ella was able to reign in her sniffles as I started out the classroom door.  Viv paused a moment too before reclaiming the "dress-up corner" from her peers.  Not a tear was shed, at least not by the kids...I saved mine for the car.      

The kid's daycare has been closed the last week and a half and it's given us an opportunity to check off some of this summer's items on the bucket list. Included was a trip to the Museum of Contemporary Art. I enjoyed some of their latest exhibits while the kids naturally preferred the ride in (via eL). FYI: The platform where the blue and red lines meet seems to have some of the best talent offerings. However I've notice that talent comes with a price tag. The elevators at this stop win the prize for strongest smell of excrement. The next day we visited with Tito DJ, Lolo and Lola and then met Jerry after work for an evening of softball. Strangely Viv was ready for a swim meet.

We have 80 pounds of tomatoes in our garden just waiting to be eaten. Today, the temps dipped below 90 for the first time in weeks...maybe months? It's downright sweater weather. So I channel my inner Ina Garten and get to work. Ingredients 3 tablespoons good olive oil 1 1/2 cups chopped red onions (2 onions) 2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves) 4 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, coarsely chopped (5 large) 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1/4 cup packed chopped fresh basil leaves, plus julienned basil leaves, for garnish 3 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade 1 tablespoon kosher salt 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 3/4 cup heavy cream Croutons, for garnish Directions Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and carrots and saute for about 10 minutes, until very tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken stock, salt, and pepper and stir well. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes are very tender. Add the cream to the soup and process it in a blender, discarding only the dry pulp that's left. Reheat the soup over low heat just until hot and serve with julienned basil leaves and/or croutons...or grilled cheese!

My mother's day gift finally arrived!

47 Days and Counting

We got a sneak preview of the bride and groom over the weekend. They came and we partied.

Retrospective

It feels like a lifetime ago that the Chicago Loop was part of my identity. In this previous chapter of my life I scorned sensible shoes, most days ended in a happy hour and I did not have a bedtime. The "W" Hotel was a favorite for after-work drinks trading stories with my co-workers. A different woman entered into that hotel lobby last night. Sweaty, sandy and disheveled (see previous entry), I walked past the wedges, the designer bags and the lip gloss. I smelled like old fries because it was dinner for three in the Honda. Jer had a conference downtown so we took advantage of the change in scenery for one night. It was a hotel party parent-style. For those who don't know, this involves lots of toilet flushing, jumping on the beds and lights out at 8 p.m.. As I lay in the dark, praying that the headphones would contain all the noise of the iPad (like kids need to overhear Game of Thrones), I took stock in my life's experiences thus far and fell asleep thankful. This morning Jerry was able to postpone the start of his workday until 10. We woke up early, dodged bankers, marketing execs and other corporate folk, weaving our way to Wildberry. I forgot how important everyone is in the Loop. The sense of urgency on the sidewalk seems to be way of proof. Those who cannot keep pace are pushed to the side. Luckily I remember this dance and Jerry is the king of crowd-meandering. Our orange stroller maneuvered around the detritus. Our agenda included killer pancakes, outdoor seating and a view of Millenium Park. It felt like we were playing hooky as I sipped an iced tea, well-heeled worker bees fleeing to their hives. Although I still have work days where I don't eat lunch or go all day without a visit to the bathroom, they are becoming less frequent. As I get older and gain perspective I realize that being in a hurry does not necessarily make you indispensable. Much more can be accomplished when you slow down. Creating meaning can't really happen when you're multi-tasking. I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about our cultures addiction to chaos...I'll leave it there. All in all, yesterday and today were like a ten year class reunion from my early twenties. These reminders of who you once were help you better see who you've become.

It's a good news/bad news type of thing. I always under-estimate the amount of time and effort that is needed for most of our endeavors. Because really, how hard is it to wrap up the work day, pick the kids up from daycare, grab dinner and make it to the beach before bedtime? Chicago traffic, parking facilities and dragging a stroller through sand in over 90 degree temps...easy peasey. Begging Viv to get the cigarette butt out of her mouth, hoping Ella doesn't get pulled into a rip tide and then turning around to find Viv sucking on a seagull feather (is this how bird flu started?)...totally worth it. The truth is, I kind of like living in this delusion. Without this selective amnesia, I don't think I would ever leave the house.