Easter Chicks & Basket (felt)

Needing to unwind and zone-out, last night, I made these little guys and the baskets using the girls' Halloween flower costumes. Start to finish, it took me 2  hours and I am creatively challenged, so for the rest of you, it should be a breeze.

I will give them to the girls on Easter with a chocolate Easter egg. I think they will quite enjoy them and I really do feel a sense of fulfillment having made them.

Look! He is so cute!

I was inspired by this website, though I used my own pattern & materials since I don't have a printer (that works) or the proper materials.

http://www.myrtleandeunice.com/2011/04/how-to-make-easter-chick.html

Regimented sleep for the little ones?

Yesterday, I was on skype with my mom and my girls were being needy, loud and clingy. "I am sorry mom. They didn't nap today." I tried to explain. She rolled her eyes and tried to change the subject. She disapproves of my stringent nap and bedtime routine. The thing is, my mom, originally from Mexico, has lived in California since she was 22. She is now 67 and while being very American, has definitely retained the "Mexican" way of child rearing.

The truth is, me & my 2 brothers and 1 sister, never had set naps, strict bedtime routines and most definitely, our naps did not rule her day or my dad's. We went wherever they had to go, to do whatever they had to do and slept in the car, in their arms, on chairs, in waiting rooms, at playdates, at parties, at the grocery store, at the autoshop and get this we even went to the movies as toddlers. You get the picture. 

As a result, my mom's memories of bringing up her 4 children are lovely. She did not suffer from loneliness, depression, stress and says she never felt overwhelmed. Both of my parents have told me that they struggle sometimes to understand why I am so overwhelmed. "Just take care of you little treasures."  They tell me. 

That being said, my mom says I never had a public tantrum. And I have to say that my daughters have never had public tantrums or misbehaved with my parents, as they have with me. My mom and dad have also never struggled to get them to bed or fed, regardless of jetlag, lack of naps, time changes. 

I can't really explain what it is. But the approach that my parents have with my girls, is very free, and my kids respond to that well. I have an incredibly difficult time using the same approach because I do feel pressure and kind of value the girls napping from 1 to 3 pm so I can have some alone time. I wish I was more like them in that respect, but I am very assimilated to the westernized culture of regimented child-rearing. I don't however, think that mine the healthiest approach. I would love for my kids to be more flexible than they are now and that is what I am working towards with them. I worry that they will expect life to always be a certain way, and we all know that's not the case. 

That being said, the girls were in bed at 7:00pm on the dot tonight. 

This Week's Library Books

The girls each have a library card and we make one trip to the library a week to choose books. H thinks it is fabulous because it will hopefully spark an interest in books. I don't like books really (shush - don't tell the kids). I agree with H but admit that the library trips are a selfish "time-filler."  The more time we spend out of the house, the tidier the house is. And that is a BIG PLUS! It is ok to be selfish sometimes & have ulterior motives. Don't judge. 

They take the selection process very seriously for people who can't read. I've read each book about 15 times since. 

Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder (Full Sunday Lunch Menu)

For H's Birthday I prepared a family lunch for 6 adults and three toddlers. It was easy and some of it, I prepared in the day or two before.

Starter: Roasted Aubergine & Mint Houmous (I made this the night before)


Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder & White Wine Gravy
Rosemary Infused Mini-New Potatoes
Maple Glazed Parsnips
Steamed Chard 
Mange Tout, Bean & Basil Salad (I made this the night before)

Roasted Aubergine & Mint Houmous (I made this the night before)

Recipe Compliments of Waitrose Magazine

Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder & White Wine Gravy

1.5 kilo lamb shoulder
salt
pepper
splash of olive oil
splash of red wine
fresh rosemary
1 large onion sliced
2 garlic cloves peeled

1 tablespoon flour
500 ml chicken stock
3 tablespoon white wine
3 tablespoons of capers

1. Heat oven to 160 C (140C fan assisted/320F).

2. Score the lamb and season well with salt and pepper. The lamb should still have a bit of fat at this point.

3. Layer the bottom of the roasting tin with sliced onion. On top of the onion layer place half of your rosemary sprigs. Place the lamb on top of these two layers, fat side up. Layer the top of the lamb with the remainder of the onion and rosemary leaves. Toss the garlic into the dish. Splash the lamb with one small splash of olive oil and one small splash of red wine. Cover with lid or tightly with tin foil (aluminum).

4. Cook in oven for 4 hours.

5. After 4 hours, do not uncover roasting tin. Increase heat to 180 C (160C fan assisted/320 F) and cook another 20 minutes.

6. Remove from oven and remove from roasting tin immediately. Wrap the lamb in tin foil and let it rest for 15 minutes before serving. Remove all of the sprigs and oil from the tin. You will notice that the juice that the lamb has given off will be a denser darker one at the bottom of the tin and the oily stuff at the top. You want to get rid of the oil but retain the darker juices & set aside.

7. In a medium sized pot bring the stock to a boil. Add the white wine. Add the capers. Add the good dark juices from the lamb and bring to a simmer for a couple of minutes. If you want a denser gravy, add a tablespoon of flour.

Rosemary Infused Mini-New Potatoes

I like these little guys because they are easy to prepare, especially with little ones running around.

1.5 kilos of mini- new potatoes.

On the morning of, or night before, wash & dry your potatoes. Don't peel. Place them on the top basket of a steamer. On the bottom layer place 5 to 10 rosemary sprigs. Don't add water. Just let let the potatoes sit with the rosemary below it overnight or for a few hours the day of. About 30 minutes before you will be serving the food, fill the bottom of the steamer with water (leave rosemary in) and let them simmer until soft. This should take about 25 min if you are using the mini-new potatoes.

Maple Glazed Parsnips

1 kilo Parsnips
Sunflower or Corn Oil
Maple Syrup

Cover your roasting tin with foil. Peel and thinly slice the parsnips. If you slice them thin enough, you will not have to par boil and your oven time will be reduced. Place the parsnips into the roasting tin, pour over a glug of the sunflower oil and using your hands mix well. Then add a generous glug of maple syrup or golden syrup and using your hands mix it well into the parsnips. Place in the oven at 140 C for 10 minutes and then at 180 C for about 20 -30 minutes, until they are soft, tender and sweet.

Steamed Chard 

Place chard in a steamer basket and steam for about 10 minutes.

Mange Tout, Bean & Basil Salad (I made this the night before)

Recipe Compliments of Waitrose Magazine

Near Impulse Buys

There is something about a store, with well-situated and well-positioned products. Like sirens, the products scream out "purchase me ... you need me ... you want me ..." These are some things that I nearly bought today, but didn't.

At first glance I wanted to buy this thinking, I would write down all the quirky things the kids do. I then realized I wouldn't actually "do it."

I totally would have bought these 5 years ago. It was a different kind of life! 

Anything with butterflies sparks my attention but alas, they remained at the store. 

Ed the doorstop Dude. I can't stop thinking about him. What a cutie. I might go back for him tomorrow. 

Sam's Story (The Garden Duck)

This is Sam. He is cute. Isn't he?

This is his story: We bought this house 6 months ago and it has a massive back garden that was starting to overgrow. Since we had a bit of sun last weekend I took a large pair of garden scissors and just started going "all ninja" on the back garden.

Here is a before picture of our trellis.

Here is an after shot.

Hidden amongst all of the green was our little guy, Sam, named by Api. The girls (and I) have taken a real liking to him. We spent a large portion of today singing him songs and reading him books. He is so lovely. I went to the garden store to find him a companion, but nothing seemed quite right. The search continues. Welcome to the family Sam. 

Maple Syrup Cake with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

I was nervous when making this and held my breathe while serving until the compliments started flooding in. What a relief! This is easy - so you have to try it. Make the frosting first, preferably the night before because it needs to harden. 

Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting 

1 cup of sugar

1/2 cup water

2 tbs vanilla extract 

170grams unsalted butter (6 oz)

2 tablespoons of double cream (heavy or whipping cream) 

455 grams of cream cheese (16 oz)

1. In a saucepan, combine sugar, water, 2tbs vanilla extract. Cook over a high heat, stirring regularly until the sugar is dissolved. 

2. This is the patience part. Reduce heat to medium-high and don't stir until the mixture starts to harden and turns into a dark caramel. You kind of have to stand over the hob to make sure it does not burn. The original recipe called for about 15  minutes but it took me 20. Once it turns into a dark amber colored caramel, remove from heat and stir in the butter and double cream.  

3. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. You need to be rather quick because you don't want it to harden.  

4. Beat at a low speed allowing it to combine and continue to cool. Slowly beat in the cream cheese.

4. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for at least 6 hours (overnight is best). 

This is not an immensely dense frosting. I'd describe it as silky but fluffy and  tastes fab. 

This is where I got the original frosting recipe from: 

http://vickii-ibakethereforeiam.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/pumpkin-cake-with-caramel-cream-cheese.html

Maple Cake 

175 grams soft butter (6.2 oz)

100 g caster sugar (3.5 oz superfine sugar)

3 large eggs

350 ml maple syrup (12oz) 

500 g self-raising flour (17oz) 

two 21 cm sandwich tins, buttered and lined (8 inch tins)

1. Butter and line your tins with baking paper. If you have never before done this, watch this video. 

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/videos/1055/lining-a-cake-tin 

2. Preheat the oven to 180 C/ 160 C fan (360 F). 

3. Beat together the butter and sugar until very pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating in well after each addition, then gradually add the maple syrup to make a smooth mixture. Finally, spoon in the flour alternately with the hot water, beating gently until smooth again. Divide the batter between the two tins, and cook for about 40 minutes. A fork inserted in the middle should come out clean. Let the cakes cool in their tins for 10 minutes in the unmoulding and let them cool completely before icing them. 

This recipe can be found here. 

http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/autumnal-birthday-cake-157 

Lonely - Feeling Sad

This is C, having her lunch on her own today. Most of the time we have lunch together, but today, for whatever reason, she would not let me sit with her and insisted on eating alone at the mini-table. Like all of us, I guess that she just needed a bit of space. I wouldn't want to hang out with me all of the time either if I were her. I let it be and watched from the hallway. I couldn't help but wonder what was going through her little head. Watching her eat alone made me wonder if she was sad. She didn't look sad and eating alone is a brave thing to do. At least I think it is.

I started to think about sadness and all of the times in my life when I was very sad. I reflected on the times in my life I thought were sad at the moment, but in retrospect they were just things that had to happen, poor choices or sadness resulting from immaturity and inexperience. I thought about all of the things I would have done differently.

I then started to go through a mental rolodex of people currently in my life going through difficult times, breakups, financial problems, infertility, illness, loss and the scenarios just kept running through my head. We walk around, not knowing each other's sadness but there is alot of sadness out there. It just happens behind closed doors, alone at our dining room tables.