Kheer

Do you have basmati rice in your pantry?  Whole cardamom pods in your spice cabinet?  Sliced almonds, and shredded, unsweetened coconut?  Good!  Let's make some Indian rice pudding!

Adapted from The Food of India:

1/2 C uncooked basmati rice, rinsed well (yes, you can use whatever rice you have on hand, not just basmati)
10 cadamom pods, split and seeds removed
5 C milk, 2%-ish
1/4-1/2 C sugar (I usually make my pudding 1:1 rice to sugar, but somehow 1/2 C seems like a lot for this amount of milk)
1/4 C sliced almonds
1/4 C shredded, unsweetened coconut (or to be more authentic, nix the coconut and add 1/4 C golden raisins)

Bring milk to a simmer in a heavy saucepan and add the rice and cardamom seeds.  Cook, covered for about 2 hours, until the rice is creamy, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the sugar, sliced almonds, and coconut.  Serve warm or cold.  Kheer makes a great breakfast.  Yum.

I would leave you with a pretty picture, but we ate all our kheer already.

Home-y Things

I finally got a chance to play with my Christmas gift to the family, a tile set similar to one I had as a child that I loved.  This one is bigger and has both trapezoidal and triangular pieces for more design flexibility and is made from bamboo with lovely non-toxic stains, and it is pretty much as awesome as it gets.  Todd made the patterns to the right.  I think he is hoping I will vacate the frame soon, so he and Roo can have another turn at creating a design.

 It is currently on display on top of Moo's new dresser, next to his valentine from Roo, and his Hawaiian doggy and elephant baby book from G'ma Carrell.

Here's the side of the room with his bed:

We also got him a new bookshelf, which is turning out to be a super addition to his room - broad and low so that he can access all his books and toys.  Here are the results of several happy minutes playing by himself in his room while I was getting Roo up and breakfast going:

While he naps, Roo and I have been folding window stars to replace last month's snowflakes and hearts.  Today is a grey day, but these still look lovely with the light shining through.
 

Off to check my simmering chickpeas, make hummus, a batch of granola, and start broiling some salmon and steaming some asparagus for dinner.

Friday Afternoon

It's so nice to see the sun!

And it's even nicer to see the sun after 5pm.  Did you know Daylight Savings Time starts up again in just two weeks?  And the Spring Equinox is only a week after that...

We made construction paper snowflakes and hearts earlier in the month and glued them to the window with tiny drops of white glue.  The shadows on the curtains are a nice bonus.

I think one of my favorite ways to relax nowadays is to sit in the warm sunshine and knit.  Here's a glimpse of one of my new projects in the works.  I'm trying out some undyed wool yarn, Cascade's Ecological Wool.  So far, so good.

Happy weekend!

Spice Muffins

I think I might have posted this recipe before, but these are Todd's favorite muffins and they do bear repeating. Especially since I've added one more super ingredient for added yum. Oats make everything better chewier, right?

Spice Muffins, take 2:

Oven 375'

Cream:
1/2 C (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
Add:
1 egg, mix.
Add:
1 C applesauce (also works great with cooked, mashed squash or pumpkin or any kind of cooked, mashed fruit)
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. allspice, 1/2 tsp. cloves, mix.
Sift together:
2 C flour (I do half bead flour and half whole-wheat flour)
1 tsp. baking soda
Add to wet and stir till just combined.
Optionally add: 1 C rolled oats
and/or: 1/2 C chopped nuts (optional, but I bet pumpkin and pecans would be good!)

Fill 12 regular or 6 jumbo greased muffin cups.
Bake 15 min. for regular muffins or 25-30 min. for jumbo muffins (keep an eye on them, I've sometimes had the outsides get pretty toasty while the insides aren't finished baking yet)

Mmmm.

Six Years

It is hard to believe that it has been six years already since my wonderful, beloved Dad passed away. His kindness, patience, humor, and serendipity inspire me every day.

The Particular Awesomeness of Gramma Becky

For Christmas Roo got a tool bag full of drawing and drafting supplies and she's really been having fun exploring all the uses for each of the tools. Here she demonstrates the entertainment value of watercolors and drafting templates.

Meanwhile, I was busy playing with my camera and her dinosaurs from last Christmas. These also get heavy use by all of us who remain housebound during the day. Is it any wonder that one of Roos and Moos earliest vocalizations were roars and growls, dinosaurs in hand?

I have a new secret surprise knitting project to share. Also, I'm knitting another sweater for Roo/Moo. And I'm on to the feather and fan border on my Multnomah, and I'm really itching to start my Tempest. But first I have to keep up with the laundry, dishes, diapers, yogurt/granola/bread making, etc, etc, etc.

We're having quite the warm spell - it's supposed to get up to the mid-50's today. On Tuesday, Moo went on his first ever walk around the neighborhood, and he made it all the way up to the mailbox and back on his own two feet. Hiking this spring and summer is going to be awesome!

(But I am going to miss the babywearing.)

Slithery Snake(s)

It's time to show off some more cute toys I've made:

For Moo's first birthday, last October, I finally got around to finishing another giant Slithery Snake (Ravelry link). I've been wanting to tackle another one for quite a while now. This one is in a more boy-friendly palette - lots of greens and blues, with a bit of red and orange for contrast -

- as opposed to the bright rainbow of colors I used for Roo's miniature slithery snake a few years ago:

These guys get a lot of action, especially when Todd is chasing Roo around trying to snap her bottom with the kitchen towel. This is her counter-attack weapon of choice. Whip-ah!

New Spaces

All aboard!

Now that we have the flooring down and the fireplace installed in our walk-out basement, we've been putting our new family room to good use. We have a southwest exposure, so in the afternoons it is bathed in sunlight, and it is turning out to be the perfect place to play trains and soak in the light and warmth. February doldrums, not here.

So many interesting things to check out. Wheels! Crossing gates! Drawbridges! Oh my!

Even the kitten gets into the new sunbathing routine.

Some Thoughts

It's pretty amazing how life changes when you have wee ones. I remember the first few years of our marriage, the first few years we were out here, how the time went so slowly while Todd was at work, and how I struggled to find meaning in my new life, and meaningful things to do with my time.
There was a lot going on in my life just then: a new marriage, a new home half-way across the country from everything and everyone familiar, my dad's newly-diagnosed terminal illness. Still, sometimes I look back on that time and think that I, honestly, wasted it.
Now, though, every day oozes contentment. I have a job I love, that I have the amazing privilege to perform, of seeing these two little ones through each new day. We work together, we learn together, we play and read and sing and tickle and laugh. We go to the library and the art museum; in the Spring and Summer and Fall we go walking in the nature preserves nearby, in the arboretum, and up to the mailbox. We garden.
Life is so full these days, that I seem to have the opposite problem. Before Roo and Moo arrived, I seemed paralyzed by the amount of unstructured, unlimited time I had on my hands. And now I am so busy keeping house and raising my pre-schooler and toddler (all of which I love doing!) that I'm still dreaming of achieving my goals, rather than working to make them happen.
I'm sure it is going to be easier as Roo and Moo gain more and more independence from me. When they can sit next to me and draw alongside me, when I won't have to keep a sharp eye on Moo and his predilection for eating the crayons.

I've found I've loved having babies to care for. I wonder how the next stage of their childhood - and my motherhood - will turn out, as it inches closer.

It's reassuring to me that we are all learning and growing together, Roo, Moo, and I.

eat. sleep. eat again.

1) make pesto
2) buy (or make) wheat tortillas and muenster cheese
3) spread pesto on tortilla
4) slice (or grate) muenster on tortilla
5) toast or grill till muenster is melty
6) eat
7) rep[eat]


Todd's started classes again. My scant free time is even scarcer. Knitting tops blogging, so I'll see y'all when I see ya.
xo

Extreme Peanut Butter Cookies

Took a little blog break there...

I've made these cookies twice now in the past two weeks. Peanut butter is my favorite kind of cookie, and then I added dark chocolate M&Ms to bring Todd and Roo on-board. And I also slashed the sugar and used whole wheat flour and added oats, just to really make me feel good about things. So here they are:

PBC w/ M&Ms
1 C butter
1 C brown sugar
1/2 C white sugar (I left this out the second batch; meh)
1 C peanut butter (be generous!)
2 Tbsp. milk
2 eggs
2 2/3 C flour (I used a combo of bread flour and whole wheat)
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 C oats
16 oz. M&Ms

Bake 375 degrees for 8-10 min.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

As mentioned previously, I made my first foray into jam making a few weeks ago. We don't have a canner yet, so I mashed and mixed up a batch of freezer jam. Verdict: pretty good. It was fun to experiment, and strawberry freezer jam on just-baked bread is mmm-mmm-good, BUT, I think I like other uses for my fresh strawberries better. Like these scones. Or those popsicles.

So, there you go.

More Show-(off)-and-Tell

Back when Roo was a small babe, I got the itch to learn to quilt by making her a crib blanket.

I got started, and then got distracted, and then worked on it some more, and then wandered off to other projects, then picked it up again, only to drop it for something else.

Finally, this spring, I'd had enough. I didn't get it done in time for her third birthday, but I did finish it up shortly after that.

And I love it. It's hand quilted, with plain flannel as batting, and with a machine- and hand-sewn double-fold binding, inspired by the Follow-The-Lines Baby Quilt in Last-Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts.

Now I just have to get myself started on Moo's.

Summertime....

My good friend Karen brought over some awesome popsicle molds she'd had when she was a kid, thus inspiring/requiring me to find a recipe and start making homemade popsicles. The first recipe I tried was a winner, so I just made another batch with leftovers from my (also a first) venture into the world of jam making. The strawberry freezer jam is still setting, so for now I'll share the new family summertime staple:

Strawberry Yogurt Popsicles

Combine
1 lb. strawberries, hulled and mashed (about 2 cups)
1/4 C sugar
2 Tbsp. water
in a small saucepan and bring to boil; simmer for 5 min.

Mix in
2 Tbsp. lemon juice

then fold in
1 C plain yogurt (homemade if you've got it, natch)

Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for at least 4 hrs.

(To loosen the molds, run them under hot tap water for a few moments.)

Enjoy!!!