The Big Hit of the Garden

My tiny little garden has been giving us its all for the past couple months. We had a rainy go of it in May but June has been nice and with our sprinkler system on, I don't even need to water the plants. Gardening has proven to be a pretty low-key, rewarding hobby thus far.

To date, I have harvested strawberries (which are just now coming to an end), arugula (done since late May/early June), spinach (same story as the arugula), cilantro (one batch done, more sprouts coming up), basil (still growing), shallots (which are curing as we speak), snap peas (just finished) and carrots. With the exception of the strawberries, the kids have been most excited about the carrots. Collette sank her teeth into one before I could even get it inside to wash off. They are a small variety so make great snacks for little 2-year old bellies. And the kids seem to enjoy our garden carrots more than the ones I get from store. I doubt its the taste as much as it is the novelty of it being from our garden and being small. But who knows - maybe they taste something better in those little treats. The carrots are also one of my favorite things to harvest. It just amazes me that the treasure is hiding under that soil, waiting for me to pull it up and eat it. Next year (and late this season, I'm sure) I will definitely plant more carrots.

For our summer veggies and herbs, we'll have more basil and cilantro, sweet and hot peppers (Billy forced me to grow habaneros and I'm scared to harvest them when the times comes!), green onions, tomatoes and more strawberries.  I also have swiss chard and parsley seeds that I may sow this week, which would be ready by the end of summer if all goes well.

I'll be sharing some of my garden recipes thus far over at How Does Your Garden Grow so be sure to pop over and see what I did with all that veggie goodness.  I'm making a ratatouille tonight that I posted a while ago over there.  Too bad the kids won't eat it...more for me, though!!

Embracing the domestic goddess within

During a hop around the blogosphere, I stumbled upon a blog that focused mostly on crafts and things of that sort. This isn't usually my thing but I think I linked there because this one post had something to do with cooking. Much more my thing. I would link you there, too, but for the life of me cannot find my way back.

Anyway, her post was all about making a monthly menu board. This project was more about the creating the board than it was about the planning/cooking aspect but she did touch on that. And, because I believe everything I read, I decided that I should also start planning my meals one month at a time. Her board was so pretty, it made me sad that I didn't have one. But the process seemed REALLY involved so I settled for a magnetic white board calendar from Target. For now, its not so pretty but the idea behind it - planning your meals ahead of time - has been a thing of beauty for me.


As you can see, my plan is realistic. Billy and I like to order in on Fridays so I put that down. Leftovers are always gonna happen so that's there, too. Also, I try to plan things that take longer on the weekends when I know I'll have the extra adult hands to manage the kiddos. That is, when those extra adult hands aren't on the other side of the globe for 15 consecutive days.

BTW - I made the crab and squash bisque yesterday, which is based on the one they make at Whole Foods. Too good! And - be still, my beating heart - the kids actually ate it. I guess there is a God.

Friday Foodie: Spinach Balls

I know that's not the most attractive name for a food but if I call something a ball, my kids (OK, Sebastian) is more likely to eat it. Garbanzo beans are known as balls in my house. It always feels weird to say it - Want to try some balls? More balls? - but us moms do what we gotta do, right?

Anyway, to the spinach balls. Technically, they are called Spinach Gnocch-Wee. Yes, you guessed it - this is a recipe from the infamous Weelicious site. Catherine does a fantastic job of incorporating grown-up flavors and nutritious ingredients into toddler-friendly recipes. I have been trying a bunch of her concoctions lately and this one is a hit with the whole fam.

My only suggestions are to use extra flour (I doubled what she said, using about 4tbsp total) and I added marinara sauce on the side for dipping. 'Cause kids love dipping. Otherwise, this tasted so good and its not as pasta-y is other pastas (think tortellini or macaroni) so I don't feel like I'm giving the kids one big carb-overload for dinner. I cooked half and froze half (ended up with about 30-35 balls) and my kids ate about 4 each. It doesn't sound like much but they don't eat a lot at dinner so that was actually quite good for them. And Mommy and Daddy ate the leftovers :)

Hands on time isn't bad. You have to drain the spinach really well, and form the balls but the food processor does the hard work of mixing everything and that just takes a few seconds. The cooking time is quick, which I really like because once my kids see me head to the kitchen, they want dinner NOW. Definitely a recipe I would make ahead of time and then cook right before serving.

Also, I did make tortillas (like I said I would try last week) and they came out OK. Taste was great, texture was good, but shape left a lot to be desired. It was hard to roll them out and because of that they did not make nice circle-ish shape. So, I will try again and let you know how it goes next week!

Friday Foodie: Homemade Hummus

For a while, I have been thinking about incorporating more food posts into this blog. I tried to start a food blog but I just don't have the time to devote to it. And I didn't want to put random recipes on a blog that's supposed to be about me and my kids and family but, in reality, food and family intersect quite a bit. 3 times a day, in fact. And I have posted here and there about cooking food, especially for the kids, so I decided that I would make Fridays my food post day. This isn't intended to be a meme (am I even using that term correctly?) but if you'd like to join in, I'd love you to, if only so that I can cook your favorite recipes for my family!

To kick things off, I am writing about hummus. Pretty simple stuff that most of us buy at the grocery store. Collette loves it. Like, eat it by the spoonful. Well, handful - who am I kidding? That girl won't let a spoon slow her down when there's hummus around. However, hummus isn't cheap - the big tub (16oz.) is $5! Collette could eat half that in the blink of an eye. At first, I was upset that she wouldn't eat it on pita or a sandwich. I wanted the bread to slow her down and fill her up so the hummus might last a few days. Big shocker - Collette won the hummus battle. But that's ok. Because I remembered that making your own hummus is super easy. I did try it once and it didn't come out well but that's when I only had a blender. I now have a food processor and knew it could do the job.

I used this simple recipe. As I make it more often, I'm sure I'll play around with flavors. Weelicious also has some great twists on hummus that I'll be giving a try eventually. Now that I have made it once (and it tastes great!) I will never buy hummus again. And the cost can't be beat. I did a little back of the envelope calculation and my 16 oz of hummus cost me a little more than $1 to make. I do cook my own chickpeas (instead of canned beans) and that also brings the cost down. But still. Such a deal.

I have lots more on my list of things to make from scratch because we go through them so fast. Next up is probably tortillas. We gotta stay in touch with out Latin roots here at la Casa de Soto. If they come out well, I'll put that up next Friday.

Bon Apetit!

New Discovery

I have been using this oven for over three years and only just now discovered the oven light. The kids delighted in seeing their dinner cook. Now, if their delight would only get them to actually eat it...

FYI - I was cooking black bean burgers, recipe I got here. I cut some into stars in hopes that it would encourage the kids to at least try them. Sebastian did eat two bites of the "ya ya's" so I'll throw it in the win column.

Peach Picking (sorry, apples). And an angry goat.

FavAuntie and I headed out to Smolak's farm (in my home town, woot woot!) yesterday, as planned.  We tried to wake the babies up in time to make the last hayride but, alas, getting two babies diapered and dressed always takes longer than I think it should.  Still, it was worth the trip.  First stop was the farmstand.  We zipped right by the fruit and veggies and headed straight for the toy/donut section.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that they sell Schleich toys - I heard of these from RaJen Reviews here.  I have a bucket of animals (a la Target) that look real (as opposed to cartoony-looking) but the dog and pig are too small for my mouthy babies to play with.  FavAuntie bought them the big Schleich pig and dog so now their farm is complete!  And then she treated us grown-ups to some cider donuts. (insert Homer drooling noise here)

Donuts in hand, we made our way towards the farm animals to get some picks before it got too dark.  The babies were rightfully scared by the goat and llama.  The llama had crazy, blue ostrich-y eyes and the goat was mental and trying to break through the wire fence to eat my new stroller.  He actually managed to get his head out far enough to lick the handle.  Awesome.

Then, we checked out the play area for more photo ops.  Collette and Sebastian had fun getting their pictures taken on the tractor/truck.  Collette was a little too excited and kept trying to reach for the steering wheel so it was hard to get a good shot of them sitting still.  Shocker, I know.  We let them wander around the back of the truck and they enjoyed that even more.

(Collette looks so much bigger than Sebastian - peanut boy!)

We finally made our way to the orchards where we realized that they were having a deal on peach picking - $0.99 per pound!  I already have some apples from my CSA so we just did the peaches.  Picked about 4lbs and am thinking of doing a peach crisp, same topping as my strawberry rhubarb crisp.  Always a crowd pleaser.  Not that a plan to share it with crowd. :)

Lastly, here is a pic of FavAuntie with the nuggets - love it when aunties do double duty!

Weekend Update

It was a BUSY weekend for us this weekend.  Friday night, I "worked" at our Mother of Twins club tag sale, helping set up and organize.  I was not selling anything but got to shop that night if I worked.  This also meant that Billy had to do his very first solo bed time.  Sebastian put him in his place by having a total meltdown after his bath.  But other than that, he did a great job.  I also scored big time at the sale.  Spent $100 and got two rocking horses (well, one is a unicorn), two ride on/walker toys, two toy shopping carts, a doll stroller, a bag of balls for a ball pit, two puzzles, 6 pajamas, 3 pairs of shoes, one set of hats and mittens per kid, and a couple tops.  The babies are enjoing the new toys, especially the ride on toys (that they don't ride on - they just press the buttons) and the puzzles.

The next day, bright and early, was breast cancer Race/Walk for the Cure 5K.  Our family and some friends had a team, the Breast Friends Forever, and had a fun time doing the three-mile walk in Boston's Seaport District.  FavAuntie flew in that morning from Cali and went straight to the walk to join us - and she's here with me until Wednesday so it'll be a fun week!  Collette slept through most of the walk while Sebastian cried through most of it.  But even he eventually caved.  This was one of the very few times that I messed with their naps.  We had to be there at 8am and it ended around 1030am, so they pretty much had to nap during the walk and an the way home.  All in all, it worked out fine.  As I mentioned in my earlier post, I feel more comfortable taking these chances when there are lots of helpful adults around.  Here are some pics FavAuntie picked out:

(twins are sleeping in this one, hence the blanket over the stroller)

Yesterday, FavAUntie and I took the kids to our brother's house to visit our niece and nephew.  Our nephew, Ben, turned 6 last week so we got to wish him a happy birthday.  Later, we took the kiddos to the Carter's outlet store and got some very good deals on fall clothes - 15 pieces of clothing (shirts and pants) for $43!  Not too shabby.  PS - there is an online printable coupon for 20% off any purchase over $50, good until Wednesday.

***

FavAuntie and I will probably take the babies apple picking tomorrow - gotta take advantage of her while she's here!!  So, I'm thinking apple crisp, apple muffins, maybe even an apple pie?  Gosh, I love fall!!

Makes My Monday: First Farmer's Market

Saturday was our town's first farmers market of the season and we loaded up the twins and the pug and made our way through the crowds. We didn't buy much but picked up some strawberries, asparagus, cheese, tomatoes and potatoes. And the common was packed! This is our first time going and we were so surprised to see so many families. And dogs! Lola was in her glory - she made friends with a couple Boston Terriers and a Lab puppy. Sebastian and Collette got their share of attention, too. It's funny - strangers always say the same things to us: "Twins?? Wow - a boy and girl, so lucky!" and "She's bigger than him, how weird!!" Yes, I am lucky and no, it's not weird, but thanks.

Here they are, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine at the Market.

The asparagus was DELICIOUS and the strawberries could not have been juicier. Not sure yet what we will do with the potatoes but I want to do something more than just mashed. And I will have to get my creative cooking juices flowing because tomorrow we pick up our first CSA share!! We will get some more strawberries, some asparagus, herbs, lettuce, mixed greens and some other veggies that I don't know how to cook. What A Card gave me some good tips on what to do with extras or stuff that I don't like. I'm sure I will be asking her, and anyone else out there, for some ideas on what to do with everything I get. For example, I will get chard at some point and I don't know what it is, what it looks like or how to cook it. It'll be a great learning experience this summer!!



All those fresh fruits and veggies are making my Monday - what about you?? Check out Twinfatuation for more Monday makers.