Seaweed, Park Pics, and Play Dough

After the 17-hour scream fest, aka the drive home from Colorado, we took it easy for a few days.  The very next morning was a celebration for the kids. 



Eating seaweed off the moderately clean kitchen floor??  Awesome.  Elliot is beginning to like seaweed even more than Lucy.  He can finish half a package at a time, easy.



I have some photo sessions coming up.  So I wanted to try out a park at sunrise to evaluate whether it'd be a good place for family portraits. 

 

It is not particularly easy to be the mom and the portrait photographer at the same time. 



But the kids graciously acquiesced to my pleas to sit still a moment longer, and I got a few photos I like of the two of them. 



My SIL reminded me how fun poetry can be.  And this came to mind yesterday:

First outing
With shoes
Toes hidden
Soft leather
Barely necessary



Yesterday was Jack's very first day of school!  I mean, he went to a different school last year.  But yesterday was his first day of public school, and I got to pick him up! 



He seems so big.  He's a second grader this year.  But he still let me hold his hand as we walked to the car.





Nothing celebrates the first week of school like peanut butter play dough. 


 

My mom used to make it.  I am convinced there is no better way to combine playing and eating.





Peanut butter, powdered milk, honey (or maple syrup if you have a baby less than 1 year old).  Couldn't be simpler.
 

 ...or yummier.

Carrie - you are strong and capable!  You are rocking COT.  Only 20 days left.
Heidi - you are smart and determined!  You are gonna master that new helicopter and help save peoples' lives!

Making Soft Pretzels

My one pregnancy craving this go around has been those soft pretzels you buy at the mall.  I love them.  They are delicious.



I'm pretty proud to say I've only bought them 3 times during this pregnancy.  That's only once every couple of months.



But I decided to try making them, and I found this recipe on All Recipes.  With 1,321 reviews and five stars, how could I go wrong?



Interesting factoid about bagels: you have to bathe the dough in a strongly alkaline solution to give them that distinct "bagel" taste.



Germans used to (or still do?) use lye, but you can also just use baking soda and water - that's what I did.



They were terrific.  If you have a craving for mall pretzels, go buy some - because these took forever to make.

 

But if you have a craving for mall pretzels and you (a)--can't afford them or (b)--don't have a way to get to the mall, then make these!  They were great.

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 - 4 cups all-purpose flour (add flour gradually until you have enough)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 4 cups hot water
• 1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Directions

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together part of the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough, kneading and adding more flour until consistency is smooth and elastic.  Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
4. When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and drop into the baking soda water.  Once the dough rises to the top of the water, remove it, shape it into a pretzel, and place on a greased, parchment paper-covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned.  Coat with melted butter.

Ginnie's Fig Jam

Ginnie is my sister, and she grows figs.



The other day she showed me how to make fig jam!  So now I will show you!



For a great tutorial of the recipe that inspired Ginnie's, click here.  I'm not doing a tutorial - just an overview to give you an idea of the process.



We started with a whole bunch of fresh figs from Ginnie's trees.



Have you ever seen this kind of fig?  It's delicious and so pretty.



Lucy also really likes them.



So to start, we washed the figs, removed the ugly parts, and quartered them.



We combined lemon juice and water on the stove top and added the figs. 



To that, we added organic sugar and pectin (shown below)...



... and we stirred all of that until it boiled.



The pectin comes from fruit (apples, commonly) and helps the jam to thicken.

 

This is what boiled fig-water-lemonjuice-pectin-sugar looks like (above).  It's pre-jam.  It's what turns into jam once you pour it into jars!



So... the jars - here they are (above).



Very important when you're canning anything is to wash and sterilize everything that will come into contact with the food.  



The lids have to be heated as well - partly to soften the rubber part that will seal the jar closed as it cools. 



Keeping the jars hot until you're ready to pour in the jam prevents the jars from cracking. 



You even have to sterilize the funnel -- can you believe that?



Once the jars were filled with jam, we put on the lids and boiled them - the final step.  
Then the jars just need to sit, untouched, for 24 hours - and they're done!



Ginnie wanted to re-do her label, so we worked on it together and came up with these (above).  I took both photographs and then created the label using Photoshop Elements (PSE).  I'm getting much better!  I can do lots of stuff with PSE now - though I'm still learning, of course. 



If you're interested in purchasing some of Ginnie's homemade fig jam, click on the "email" button at the top of my blog!

Salsa Verde

I attempted salsa verde the other day, after watching Rachel Ray make it.  In medical school (and PA school), the mantra is, "see one, do one, teach one."  I'm combining the last two into one step.  Here goes.

 

First put the baby down somewhere.  

The stuff you need:  10-12 tomatillos, a bunch of cilantro, 1/2 a purple onion, the juice of a lime, an avocado, a clove of garlic, and a jalepeno.



Start by separating some cilantro from the stems.



And give the cilantro a rinse.



Then peel off the outer part of the tomatillos.

 

And give them a rinse as well.



And cut them all in half.




Coarsely chop the half onion.



Cut the jalepeno in half, and remove the seeds with a spoon.

 

Coarsely chop the jalepeno.



Mince some garlic.



Pour a couple tablespoons of olive oil into a pan.

 

Now toss all of the chopped stuff into the pan,



And let them cook until they are all softened.

 

And add some salt.



Pour all the cooked stuff into a blender with the cilantro.

 

And halve a lime.



Now add the juice from the lime.



And cut an avocado in half to remove the pit.



Add the avocado to the blender.



Now pulse the ingredients, until the salsa has the consistency you like.



I blended mine a little longer than I meant to, so it was silky smooth.  It still tasted good though.  Serve with tortilla chips or grilled fish.  Enjoy!