on the range {week 18}: updated

{On the Range} is my weekly series where I discuss what we're doing, reading, and eating. It's a little bit 52 project and other photo projects, and a little bit {Did you Read?} and {In the Ranger Kitchen}.

On the Range

April 30 - May 6, 2013

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2013."

I can't claim credit for my post title today. My aunt has a framed photo of herself and her sister as little girls, and she wrote a variation of this sentence below it. It always made me chuckle as a kid, even the thousand and fortieth time I read it, so I've been dying to steal it ever since.

Update: So, apparently it's not a good idea to use certain words in your post title, for they attract p*rn sites. Thus, I removed a sentence in my title that said "A coupla [warm baby birds] standing around." Except I didn't way "warm baby birds" but other words that mean the same thing as those words. You got me? Sheesh, the stuff you learn blogging. It could fill a house. Or at the very least a single-wide trailer.


Milestones

• Vivi came inside after playing to tell me with a serious look on her face..."Mommy, I've realized something. Bubbles are not fantastic, they are terrible and not fun. AND a mess." Then she showed me her hands, which she then proceeded to wash carefully after throwing away the bubble stuff. Is she her father's child or what? Ha! The whole scene makes me giggle every time I think about it again.
• Charlotte is a common name up here, as is the nickname "Charlie" for boys, so one way I like to distinguish my Charlie is to give her lots of other nicknames. Chuck is my personal favorite (did you ever see that short-lived program, Pushing Daisies?). Lotti is not really that cute in my opinion, but it's fun when you add something to it, like Lotti McSniffles when she's sick. I change it up for added interest, like Chuckles McFussyBritches when she's tantruming. Vivi's been playing around with it too, but the other day she said something like "Charlie McFuckles," totally by accident of course, and I still haven't recovered from all the laughing. 
• My little brother turns 20 today. If that doesn't make you feel old, I dunno what will. Happy birthday bro!

Media

• You can't spit without running into a fairy garden these days. They are the terrariums of 2013. But who cares? They are awesome! Whatever gets my kid in the dirt is ok by me. One of my favorite how-tos is this one by Beth of Remarkably Domestic. I think the pipe is too much for me, but I'm all for grouting some rocks onto an old pot I have lying around. Cute, huh?
• Do you love IKEA as much as me? If so, you will love this Apt Therapy article compiling ideas for hacking their furniture to create cute stuff for your kids. I wish I were that crafty.
• I'm not sure if this LA Times story would have always made me so steaming mad or if it's partly because I just got done re-reading Lee's novel. I mean, really, the nerve of people! Will we never live down the stories of old people being swindled by snaky men? Let's hope she gets herself an Atticus-worthy attorney.
• Yet another reason to love Jenny Lawson, cuz she ain't gonna let no door tell her what to do.
• I am so glad I know better than to "birthday jack" Facebook posts about my kid turning 5. So creepy. If this ever changes, friends, you know what to do. 

Meals

• Beef vegetable soup
• I tried a new thing at Trader Joe's, which doesn't happen often. They are called aloo chaat kati, found in the frozen meal section, and they look like Indian hot pockets--except they are way more delicious. Like the samosas at TJ's, it's a vegetarian meal that is greasy enough that it satisfies me the way eating meat does--no easy feat in my mind.
• In the interest of full meal disclosure, I had not one but two bowls of Trader Joe's mango sorbet last night, with coconut sprinkled on top. So yummy.

on the range {week 17}: in the dirt

{On the Range} is my weekly series where I discuss what we're doing, reading, and eating. It's a little bit 52 project and other photo projects, and a little bit {Did you Read?} and {In the Ranger Kitchen}.

On the Range

April 23 - 29, 2013

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2013."

My week...

• Has been spent with the front door open. As a way of explaining my absence--apart from celebrating the queen's fifth birthday and the visit of a much-missed mother--note exhibit A below:

Media

• All of my library holds arrived in the same week (does this happen to you?), so I now have in my possession a stack of books that make me out to be more intelligent than deserved. They are:
• A Victorian rebel: the life of William Morris by...somebody I can't remember
• Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
• Lean In: women, work, and the will to lead (the sound recording) by Sheryl Sandburg
• The Sound and the Fury & As I lay Dying by William Faulkner
• Persuasion (annotated version) by Jane Austen (and the annotator, name I can't recall)
• Mom and I watched a few episodes of "Bored to Death" the past few nights, and I chuckled a lot out loud, which is my only requirement of 30-minute programming. I recommend it if you can find it at your library.

I'm going now to catch up on the blogs, since all I could manage in the past week is Elle's hilarious portrayal of the horseshittery (her word, stolen by yours truly) of fellow parents. Her mordant humor slays me. Also, I wish I could say I've been cooking, but apart from cranking out Dutch babies by the armful, I've been on a heat-and-serve kick. Must be all that spring fever. 

What have y'all been up to while I've been gone? Do tell of your doings, lovelies. 

on the range {week 16}: nothing a little Pooh can't fix

{On the Range} is my weekly series where I discuss what we're doing, reading, and eating. It's a little bit 52 project and other photo projects, and a little bit {Did you Read?} and {In the Ranger Kitchen}.

On the Range

April 16 - 22, 2013

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Vivi: To make us all feel better, we borrowed Winnie the Pooh from the library, which we can count on to cheer us up. This pic is Vivi laughing heartily when Pooh's growling belly makes him dance.

Charlie: Watching her big sis for directions on the next part of their game. She doesn't miss a moment.

Milestones

• Charlie is finally getting her molars this week, which in my experience has been the most painful of all the teeth to arrive. Poor little dear. There has been lots of cuddling in my house this week and several banana milkshakes consumed by all.
• Vivi still calls insect repellant "bug scream." I consider it one of the last of her early childhood malapropisms, and I am in no hurry to correct her. It never ceases to make me laugh.

My week

• I am finally reading The Hunger Games trilogy of books this week, and I can't put them down! No, seriously, someone pry this book from my hands and force me to feed my children. I think I avoided the books for so long because I was somehow convinced they were Twilight-ish in nature. I have no reasoning for this connection other than both series involve teens. But they are so much better than I expected, and I find myself juxtaposed between racing to find out what happens and not wanting it to end.

Moods

• Sad and relieved. I am sad about the bombing, sad that prejudices about foreigners were just buoyed by one more "told-ya-so," sad that the boy they identified and caught is so young. But I am relieved they brought him in and that they did so alive. These people we've put in charge of our lives, they are amazing. I think we can't tell them this truth enough, so I will likely join the millions of other women who will be making them brownies this week.
• Humdrum. It is raining and low 40's again today. Egads! I won't bore you with my complaints again.
• Smug. I knew lots of my words of the day this week. Do you get this email service? I enrolled so I could learn some new words, but an unexpected outcome is that I feel smug at words I already know. I mean, who doesn't know the definition of "decamp"? It seems like a word even Dubya would know, you know?

Media

• Funny article from Gawker about a Fox & Friends reaction to a law requiring mandatory translation services in Ohio public schools. My favorite commenter, when asked what Gretchen Carlson would be translated to in Spanish, says her Castillian name would be "La Gringa Estupida de Wonderbread con Mayo."
• My cousin Alice shared two hilarious clips this week. The first is Stephen Colbert's "Oopsie-Daisy Homophobe", which is brilliant. Boy does he ever have his finger on the pulse of political & pop culture humor. The second is a clip of a news team cracking up after interviewing Ryan Lochte. Thanks Alice!

on the range {week 15}: see tot swim

{On the Range} is my weekly series where I discuss what we're doing, reading, and eating. It's a little bit 52 project and other photo projects, and a little bit {Did you Read?} and {In the Ranger Kitchen}.

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Vivi: This picture is obviously not from this week, but I hadn't gotten pictures off my little camera in a while, and this one is really cute of her while trick-or-treating in our neighborhood dressed as Batgirl.

Charlie: She had her last swim class this morning. I added a video snippet below.

On the Range

April 9 - 15, 2013

Milestones

• While Vivi is still unable to read, her artistry skills are moving right along. Recently she drew a picture of a paintbrush drawing a picture. I hadn't realized that kind of perspective was possible for a four-year-old to create on her own. That's good, yes?
• Proving yet again that my life is an Abbot & Costello routine, I explained to Vivi that I was shoveling the fireplace ash into a bucket (specifically, my new old coal bucket from the trade shop) because I will save it to sprinkle in the compost. She replied, "But Mommy, why did you burn cash in the fire? That doesn't seem like a smart idea." And that's the end of our show, folks. Please tip your server on the way out.
• Here's a video of my little fish, Charlie, on her last day of swim class (in which there were no other children due to it occurring during vacation week). We will miss her adorable, patient instructor. I'm sure there's no way to request a teacher at the Y, they aren't that organized over there, and they do seem to like to spread the wealth of talent; thus, Vivi has a teacher with braces who appears to be in seventh grade:

My week...

• When it comes to home decorating and furniture organization, I am as useless as tits on a boar hog. Luckily my husband is semi-talented in this life skill and did some nice swapping of items in our upstairs rooms and then deposited an old dresser at Goodwill of his own accord. I'm looking forward to my mom's trip in a few weeks so she can add her tasteful touch.
• Though I sorely lack decorating skills, I am an excellent organizer and purger of junk. One item removed from the house yesterday was a Barbie-sized plastic toilet, and I shit you not (hee) when I tell you it had a tiny handle that could be flushed to reveal a colorful sticker meant to represent the stuff that goes in a toilet, with accompanying sounds of the stuff going in. I consider myself a real peach for allowing said toy to be allowed in the house for a whole year before it got the boot. I mean really, who are these toy producers anyway? Let's leave something up to our children's imagination, shall we? I choose the dolls' bodily functions. I feel certain my children will some day forgive my stinginess. 

Moods

• Yesterday's bombing of the Boston Marathon is of course on everyone's mind. When I found out it was for sure some homemade bombs and not a gas line explosion, my first thought was "the last time I lived in a major city that was bombed in this way was during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta." Then I thought about how sad it is that I have already lived in two cities that have experienced bombings in only 17 years. Then I thought about how fortunate we are as Americans not to experience bombings daily as they do in some places. So, yes, it's an emotional roller coaster around here.

Media

• It's difficult to read the gruesome reports coming out about the victims of the bombing. This Globe article describes brothers who each lost a leg. They had been standing next to the family who lost their 8-year-old son. But my favorite article is on the Cognoscenti blog by a MIT professor of international security, and it's called "They Picked the Wrong City."
• I've been pondering how to give the girls some good backyard play action, and I found this cute idea for an outdoor "mud pie kitchen." It seems simple enough that even I could build it. I wonder if I can get my hands on old crates or other reclaimed wood.

on the range {week 13}: positive turkey eating

{On the Range} is my weekly series where I discuss what we're doing, reading, and eating. It's a little bit 52 project and other photo projects, and a little bit {Did you Read?} and {In the Ranger Kitchen}.

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Vivi: Moments after this photo was taken of her at a friend's birthday party, she began quickly grabbing as many chocolate seashells as she could before I could stop her. Then moments after that, we were waiting for my friend to find a knife to cut the cake, and child was so excited she began grabbing at the icing until I just reached across the table, grabbed a foot of the turtle, and slammed it on her plate. Pull up a chair, there are many more parenting tips to be found here.

Charlie: Easter Sunday, post outdoor playing. You needn't adjust your screen, as it is in fact dirt all over her face. Again, I'm here with parenting tips whenever you seek them.

On the Range

March 26 - April 1, 2013

Milestones

• Charlotte will now eat a quarter of a turkey sandwich, hence the title above. Previously I referred to her status as "negative turkey eating," rather than neutral, because she would ask for a turkey sandwich and then refuse it. Harrumph.
• Vivi is trying to figure out how she can politely rebuff the attempts of a boy in her class to kiss her. Reader, it seems early to begin the cleaning of the shotgun in front of boys, so I'm willing to chalk this situation up to a rogue child who is in touch with his feelings. Luckily the girls are convinced boys have cooties. Do you have thoughts on this matter?
• Charlie continues to excel at her swim class. She now is willing to paddle around the pool with both arms and legs, a floatie strapped to her chest. I think I am only one or two classes away from not having to get into the pool at all with her. Praiseallujah!

My week...

• Easter snuck up on me this year, y'all, and I didn't do half the stuff I had planned, like cute little pastel sugar cookies. Maybe I'll do them next week and call them spring cookies.
• There is a new store in our town that buys, sells, and trades antiques and common household goods. While I am not usually at risk for purchasing items at stores, this one is different. It reminds me of our little town auction in the UK, with some real gems like antique furniture, but also with other odds and ends like a desk fan from the '50s or a chick feeder that uses a screwed-in upside-down Ball jar. Good stuff! I plan to ransack our basement for treasures I can trade.
• A lady at the gym left her giant cell phone in my coat pocket, then managed to sound ticked off at ME that I had driven off unknowingly with it. The most comical part of this story is the portion during which her cell phone began to ring loudly as I was driving to the library. I for one am glad I was the only adult in the car to witness that spectacle as I tried to figure out what was happening.

Media

• Cicadas are coming! It made me feel much better that, although a colony only comes out every 17 years, there are multiple colonies. When I heard this news, I was seriously questioning whether it was possible that the last colony was in the US 17 years ago, so I was happy to hear that more than one colony comes around.
• A contest-winner on McSweeney's is writing about traveling little league baseball in Cobb County, Georgia. Having grown up a county over from Cobb, it's fun for me to witness her suburban escapades.

Meals

• Nate made this fantastic Korean soup a few days ago. It was simultaneously one of the spiciest, most delicious, and most complex of dishes I've ever eaten. I might cook more often, but between the two of us, Nate is the gourmand. He appreciates good food and is willing to try ANYTHING he's been told is edible, and he has an admirable attention to recipe details. When he puts his mind to cooking, the results are often better than I've had in restaurants.

on the range {week 12}: spaghetti face

{On the Range} is my weekly series where I discuss what we're doing, reading, and eating. It's a little bit 52 project and other photo projects, and a little bit {Did you Read?} and {In the Ranger Kitchen}.

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Vivi: I considered posting another shot, but talking through my photo shoots is so classically Vivi, it seemed like the right one to share.
Charlie: There is a similarly disgusting spaghetti face picture of me at her age, so I had to run and grab the camera. Also, any dentists reading? Is this a cross-bite? She does it a lot.

On the Range

March 19 - 25, 2013

My week...

• Hubs returned back to the scene of the crime to return and purchase even more apparel, and this chick stayed home even though said outlet mall contained a Williams Sonoma, Calphalon, and Le Crueset store. I'm a good girl, I am.
• After my cocky post a few years back, I am currently losing the battle with the post office over how much junk mail I throw away daily, but as you are my witness, I will NOT lose the war.

Moods

• I informed my dear husband that the next house we select to make a home needs to contain within its walls a place I can hide from my children. A must!

Media

• CNN posted an article discussing the possible contribution of skim milk to childhood obesity. At the risk of displaying sanctimommy, I'm personally not surprised by this data, considering my own anecdotal evidence that the people who know more about nutrition are not bothered by the fat content of their milk; whereas, people who can be dazzled by the "health benefits" of diet sodas and skim milk tend to overdo it in other food areas. Does this make sense? I do find myself feeling sad for these parents and kids because there are SO MANY WAYS TO SCREW OUR KIDS UP, y'all.
• A look back at the first day I began blogging regularly.
• Speaking of looking back, I just happened to notice my list of posts from last March's NaBloPoMo. Sweet fancy Moses, what a list--how productive! Makes me want to go tell last year's version of myself "Hey there overachiever, let's not ruin the daily blogging experience for the rest of us slackers who are writing of spousal badinage."
• Did you see Amber of Crappy Picture's story about quickies? I LOLOLed about "there's no window, Daddy!"

Meals

• Pork chops with fennel, a winter staple in our house
• Galician fish soup, my favorite husband-cooked meal

on the range {week 11}: rye bread and dukkah

{On the Range} is my weekly series where I discuss what we're doing, reading, and eating. It's a little bit 52 project and other photo projects, and a little bit {Did you Read?} and {In the Ranger Kitchen}.

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

On The Range

March 11 - 18, 2013

Milestones

• Vivi asked me a tough question this week, which prompted us to gather a bunch of books from the library. Currently we have a few about nutrition, taste, the brain, and why we make so many funny bodily functions (sneeze, cough, blink, yawn, burp, etc.). It's been fun to see the learning in action.
• Speaking of learning, she arrived home from school a few days ago to announce that she knew all of the names of the planets, including "Mahs," "Jupitah," and "Satuhn." I laughed and took her to YouTube to commence some un-learning of the names.

My week...

• It always strikes me as funny that Bostonians are so gung ho about St. Patrick's Day. I guess it's one of the only holidays where people are given free license to get drunk and be obnoxious a-holes, which is a beloved pastime up here. Only kidding!

Moods

• READY. FOR. SPRING. Ugh.

Media

• The first limerick on this McSweeney's Norse History for Bostonians is particularly funny.
• Is it okay to use shame to pressure teens into using contraception? I'm inclined to say go for it if it works, but I don't think it will work.

Meals

• Spaghetti & Meatballs
• Mac & Cheese with Mushrooms & Kale
• Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Rye bread (recipe below, modified from Bob's Red Mill rye flour package)
• Dukkah, an Egyptian spice blend for dipping olive-oil soaked bread in (recipe below)

rye bread

2 1/2 c. bread flour (not self-rising)

1 1/2 c. dark rye flour 

2 Tbs. sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 Tbs. active dry yeast

1/2 c. warm water (110-115 degF)

1 c. whole milk, room temp.

2 Tbs. olive oil

3/4 c. finely chopped onion (optional)

2 Tbs. whole caraway seeds (sometimes I do half fennel seeds)

Add rye flour, 1/2 c. bread flour, sugar, salt, and yeast to a large glass or ceramic bowl. Mix together with a whisk. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, add milk, oil, and water and incorporate with flour until the mixture resembles a thick batter. Add onion and caraway seeds, then slowly add remaining bread flour, 1/2 c. at a time, until you can turn out the dough onto a floured surface. 

Knead the dough aggressively for 5-10 minutes until your arms burn, the dough is no longer sticky, and it springs back when poked. Allow the dough ball to rest on the counter while you rinse the large bowl, then oil the bowl and add the dough to it, flipping it to coat it in oil. Cover with a tea towel and allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free location until it has doubled in size, about 2 1/2 hours. My trick for getting bread to rise in the New England winter is to preheat the oven to 180 degF while I'm kneading, then turn it off. By the time I'm finished kneading, the oven is usually down to about 80 degF. I put the bowl in the oven, covered with the tea towel and topped with a digital thermometer, then I keep an eye on the temperature. If it drops, I use a heating pad to bring it back up to 80 degF.

Punch the risen dough down and put it back on your floured work surface. Let it rest while you gather the remaining supplies. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and then sprinkle it with fine cornmeal (course-ground cornmeal is too crunchy and will make the bread an odd texture; if this is all you have, skip it completely); alternatively, you can use a pizza peel/baking stone instead of a baking sheet if you have one. Shape the dough into whatever form you desire; you can make small rolls, 2 medium baguette shapes, or 1 large loaf for sandwiches, which is my preferred shape. Cover again with  a tea towel and let rise for 40 minutes to an hour, until the dough has doubled again in size. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour and make five slashes with a sharp or serrated knife.

Preheat oven to 425 degF. To make a crunchier crust, you can either spray water into the oven after putting the loaf in and immediately shut the door, or you can heat an iron skillet and pour hot water into it as you put the loaf in. Bake for 15 minutes at 425, then turn down the oven to 375 degF and cook for another 20-25 minutes until the crust is a golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. If, like me, you don't trust those methods of telling bread-doneness, you can also insert a thermometer in the bottom of the loaf; it should be 190-200 degF. Allow the loaf to cool completely before slicing, as the bread continues to cook after being taken out of the oven.

dukkah

I came across this spice blend at Trader Joe's and decided I could make my own at home. After consulting a few recipes online, I gave it a whirl. I like that it feels impossible to mess up, and the possible variations are endless. Hazelnuts are the traditional nut used, but I didn't have any so improvised with pine nuts and almonds. Pistachios also seem like a wonderful idea.

1 c. pine nuts (see note above)
1 c. almonds
1/4 c. sesame seeds
1 Tbs. coriander seeds
1 Tbs. fennel seeds
1 Tbs. cumin seeds
1-2 tsp. black peppercorns, coarsely crushed (to taste)
1/2-1 tsp. salt (to taste)
up to 1 Tbs. red pepper flakes (optional, if you like it extra spicy)
1 tsp. dried mint (optional)

Toast nuts on a baking sheet in either the oven or toaster oven for 5-10 minutes until golden brown and smelling good. Be careful not to burn them! Burning can happen quickly, so they should be watched closely. Heat a small skillet over medium heat; toast the seeds for 5-8 minutes until fragrant. Toss with nuts and remaining ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until coarsely ground and combined. Do not over-pulse, or you will end up with nut butter.

on the range {week 10}: easy stir-fry

{On the Range} is my weekly series where I discuss what we're doing, reading, and eating. It's a little bit 52 project and other photo projects, and a little bit {Did you Read?} and {In the Ranger Kitchen}.

Here are what the girls looked like just a year ago:

Here's them on Saturday after we made a snowman ("with a stick for a mouth and a carrot nose and two eyes made out of clementines"):

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

on the range {week 9}: buttermilk roast chicken

{On the Range} is my weekly series where I discuss what we're doing, reading, and eating. It's a little bit 52 project and other photo projects, and a little bit {Did you Read?} and {In the Ranger Kitchen}.

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

 Others from that portrait session...

{on the range} week 8: still winter

{On the Range} is my weekly series where I discuss what we're doing, reading, and eating. It's a little bit 52 project and other photo projects, and a little bit {Did you Read?} and {In the Ranger Kitchen}.

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Grandpa and Groovy Girls: a match made in heaven.

On the Range

February 19-25, 2013

Milestones

• Charlie has had an ear infection, and it's tough to parse out which of the tantrums are pain-related, but the knowledge of how uncomfortable those can be keeps me (mostly) tolerant and patient with her.
• Vivi has discovered fort-making; I'm kissing our half-organized living room pillows and couch cushions goodbye for the next five years.

My week...

• I attended a wonderful birth this week! It was an all-nighter, so it's taken me a few days to feel back to normal.
• Dad visited this weekend, and we had a great time together. Never long enough, but that's the price we pay for living so far away.

Moods

• TIRED.
• Grossed out. A few days ago I went to put a bag of garbage in the big can and noticed a large frozen clump of something unidentifiable in the bottom. Care to know what I did in case you should encounter such a thing in the Boston winter? I dumped out said clump, got out the shovel, and covered it with snow. Out of sight, out of mind.
• Ready for spring! Which is unfortunate because we're still an entire month away from the first crocus. Just when I think I can't take another day of winter, we get a pretty sunset that reminds me of the good part.

Meals

• Mexican chicken & cauliflower casserole (verdict: really yummy! The kids loved it)
• Pioneer Woman's mac & cheese, greens with potlikker
• Chicken cobbler (from The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook) and spinach salad

{on the range} week 7: Cinderella ate my daughter

{On the Range} is my weekly series where I discuss what we're doing, reading, and eating. It's a little bit 52 project and other photo projects, and a little bit {Did you Read?} and {In the Ranger Kitchen}.

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Genevieve: Climbing mountains wherever she can.
Charlotte: Proving that gearing up to go out in the snow is still a good time for a gal to accessorize.

On the Range

February 12-18, 2013

Milestones

• "Charlieisms" are suddenly sprouting up every day. Last night she said "Burrrrrrt, Mommy. It's cold!" and "My tutu didn't fall off yet!" (she meant to say 'tattoo').
• We're having February vacation week, and Vivi went to winter camp yesterday. Unlike with the school report (i.e. "What did you do today?" "Nothing"), she was aflutter with news of the morning, including brushing wool, feeding sheep, climbing "Bird Hill" and spotting deer and wild turkeys, and cracking her own eggs when cooking a snack. Winter camp is a great success!

Media

• I just finished Cinderella Ate My Daughter, and it was an eye-opening page turner. I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up for moms questioning the place of pink plastic Barbies and pants that read "JUICY" on the bottom in their daughters' lives.
• Thanks to this Splendid Table episode, I got a new book from the library called The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook. I've already tried a recipe for "biscones," a cross between biscuits and scones. Ah-mazing. I give lots of thought to a new cookbook purchase before pulling the plug, but this one is a serious contender for 2013. Next recipe up: savory chicken cobbler. Mmmmmmm.

Moods

• Meditative. We got another six inches of snow on Saturday morning. For most of the day we got the thick flakes that resemble the paper cutouts we grew up making in grammar school, so it was a beautiful sight.
• Frustrated. I learned this week there's a setback in my doula certification paperwork, so I feel like I'm back at square one, just waiting with nothing I can do to speed up the process.  

Meals

• Dublin coddle
• Gwumpki
• Chicken pocket pies

{on the range} week 6: blizzard grub

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Genevieve: Dreaming of superheros as she gears up to play in the snow.
Charlotte: Couch-bound for much of the weekend, my poor sick baby didn't get much of a chance to enjoy the fluffy white stuff.

{on the range} week 4: sweet potato fries

Charlie now.  Loving the rasta hat, man.

Charlie a year ago. Somebody make them stop growing so fast.

{On the Range} is my weekly series where I discuss what we're doing, reading, and eating. It's a little bit 52 project and other photo projects, and a little bit {Did you Read?} and {In the Ranger Kitchen}.

On the Range

January 22-28, 2013

did you read? {10 favorite cookbooks}

I've been known to gab about my love of cookbooks, even on the blog a few times. A good cookbook can be just as good as the best book, in my opinion. I love to nuzzle into the couch with a few cookbooks from the library to get some great ideas. Norah Ephron once likened the feeling of being taken away to another world by a book to the "rapture of the deep" experienced by deep-sea divers who forget which direction is the surface of the water. Rapture is definitely a word I'd use to describe my adoration of cookbooks.

Not many library selections make the ranks of the cookbooks I buy, but those that make it to my shelves aren't ignored and left to gather dust. I treasure them and consult them weekly. Some women have a purse to match their every mood; personally, I prefer to pair my moods with cookbooks. Whether I'm craving an international meal, a quick comforting recipe for the kids, or one made from ingredients found at the farmer's market, I have a book to do the job well. Below are a few of my favorites, for your consideration (note: these are indeed affiliate links...so I can buy and then write about more cookbooks, of course!).

1) The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman

The hubster's family gave us this one the year after we got married. Mark Bittman is staffed at the New York Times and is one of my favorite food writers (I am also looking forward to purchasing How to Cook Everything: 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food one of these days). I don't always agree with his column (see comments of another post), but his books are thoughtful and well-written. I love that I know when I have a delicious dish in an international establishment, say harira at a North African restaurant, I can come home and flip open the book to that recipe so I can attempt to replicate it. Whether you crave kung pao chicken, masala chai, or plaintain chips, you'll find them in this giant volume. We received a leg of lamb-- a rare inclusion-- in our latest CSA bundle, so I plan to try lamb tagine with prunes next week. I'm a sucker for prunes and meat together.

2) Essential Pepin: More Than 700 All-Time Favorites from My Life in Food by Jacques Pepin

You can read more about this one on my previous post about it. It's my all-time favorite cookbook and can frequently be found on my nightstand. Jacques Pepin is my food hero.

3) The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook: Heirloom fruits and vegetables, and more than 100 heritage recipes to inspire every generation by "The Fabulous Beekman Boys"

I wrote about this one previously too. The fall recipes are the absolute best, so now is the perfect time to check it out. Be sure to browse their website too (they also have a show on Cooking Channel, which I haven't watched yet because we've been cable-less for almost a year).

4) Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets by Deborah Madison

Another one given to me by my mother-in-law, a fellow avid home chef, this book pushes the limits of my ability to cook with local ingredients. She doesn't stop at just introducing us to vegetables like kohlrabi and escarole; she elevates humble farmer's market fare to another stratosphere. You'll be pleasantly surprised at the delicious results.

5) Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round by Marisa McClellan

While this isn't a traditional cookbook perse, I would argue its as important an addition to your repertoire as any book, if not more so, if you plan to preserve food. Canning requires exact balances of acidity, sweetness, and pectin in the case of jam, so the chemistry component alone makes me a preserving cookbook evangelist. You can fly by the seat of your pants when making soup, maybe, but unless you have tons of experience, I wouldn't try the same with blueberry jam. Like most cookbook authors today, Marisa also has a wonderful blog, which is how I found her book.


6) The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier by Ree Drummond

I adore her signature style of photographing each stage of the cooking process. It makes for a fun evening read and an instructional guide. She has such a way of making readers feel at ease, like we've been invited into her kitchen for a chat. I can't get enough of her blog. Um, also, carnitas pizza. Need I say more? She has a great show on the Food Network that I catch on Saturday mornings at the gym when I can.

7) Savoring Spain & Portugal by Joyce Goldstein

This one is sadly apparently not being printed any more. But I'm including it anyway because I love the notion that each international trip should be followed by a cookbook of the food in that area upon returning to the states. We went to Spain and Portugal in 2009 and have enjoyed this book (a third gift from mom-in-law!) even more because it reminds of all the delicious food we ate on our trip. We shared our favorite recipe from this book last year, a Galician fish soup that is one of Nate's specialties.

8) The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten

I get many of my staple recipes from Ina, like hummus, tabbouleh, roasted vegetables, and granola. I love how simple and straightforward her recipes are. She of course also has a fabulous cooking program on Food Network. Not surprisingly, they love her in England as much as we do here. She has such a calm and joyful approach to cooking and to life, and her marriage reminds me of a set of my grandparents who seem to love cooking and eating as much as Ina and Jeffrey. They are a delightful pair.


9) My Father's Daughter: Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family & Togetherness by Gwyneth Paltrow

The addition of this book on the list might surprise you, but she is correct in titling this book "easy recipes." They are as much about family and comfort as they are about being cookbook-worthy. It's my kind of cooking, and the photos are fabulous. I wrote about this one previously too. Gwyneth also has a great e-newsletter and website with more recipes.

10) The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman

This book will be released on October 30th, so I can't offer an authoritative review yet, but c'mon! Anyone who has ever read her blog knows it will be amazing. Have you pre-ordered yours yet? I did!

Editor's note: This post is a part of Real Food Wednesday, Monday Mania and The Homestead Barn Hop.

did you read? {4}: lazy edition

Sweet thrift store finds for my future tweens.

Hey peeps,
Today I'm going to do that thing where bloggers phone in their post, i.e. share stuff they liked that week and don't say anything very poignant about it. I, however, typically love these phoned-in posts, so I hope you'll enjoy a few of my internet loves for your weekend browsing. You can read other more cleverly written {did you read?} posts here.