October 7, 2010

Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meatballs

I have a confession to make. The only reason I tried this recipe was because I was seduced by the magical powers of sprinkled Parmesan cheese on top of meatballs. The bright yellow spaghetti squash intrigued me and I knew the mushroom/spinach profile would be good, but MEAT & CHEESE sold me. I loooove meatballs. I’m 1/2 Italian. It’s in my genetic makeup. My grandma’s meatballs are what broke my 3 years of Vegetarianism. Seriously.

Is spaghetti squash like pasta? NO. There’s really no comparison BUT! spaghetti squash does taste fabulous in its own right. It’s soft & semi crunchy and a good vehicle for sauce—hence the pasta substitute. The strands aren’t soo long that you hafta twirl your fork over and over again. This means you can get it into your mouth faster. Win!

So how was this dish? Pretty good! I really liked the mushroom sauce and might add more mushrooms and spinach next time. If you are vegetarian, cut out the meatballs and you’ll still have a wonderful, hearty dish! People with children? You listening? I learned that you cannot trick a 2 year old boy into thinking that spaghetti squash is noodles. Cooper tossed them on the floor to show is disapproval. Someone is too smart for his own good….

around the home, Uncategorized

October 2, 2010

Hello Internet,

Cooper here. Today is my 2nd birthday! My mom took a picture of me playing with my cars.

My fire engine is my new favorite toy. It goes weeee wahhhh weeee wahhhhh.

I love building ramps out of the new wooden blocks I got for my birthday!

My mom lines up all of my toys on the table when I’m not looking. She’s always fixing things I knock over throughout the house. I like to test her and put things where they don’t belong. She’s crazy.

See my toy stash? I’m gonna make a giant mess out of it in a second. Then I’ll watch Mama come in and clean it up again. She takes two big black fuzzy pillows and covers up my toys at night so she doesn’t have to look at them. I think it stresses her out that I have soo many toys. I’ve been told that I came to this world to teach her patience and acceptance. I wonder if it’s working?

I started jumping off the couch arm and onto the couch a few weeks ago. I’ll throw the pillows on the floor and sometimes when my mom isn’t looking, I’ll stuff some of my snacks in between the cushions.

I love baseball, just like my dad. I love to say “Let’s Go Baseball!” It makes my parents giggle. I just started saying Red Sox a few weeks ago. It makes my dad very proud.

My mom is trying out a new hairstyle on me. I think she’s just lazy and doesn’t want to take me to get my hair cut. Who could blame her? I was a pain in the butt last time in the barber’s chair. It took a lollipop and countless animal crackers to get me to sit still. The clippers freaked me out!

I climbed out of my crib a few weeks ago. After my mom put me down for a nap, I surprised her in the kitchen while she was cleaning dishes. I shouted “Hi Mama!” She stood there stupefied and then she started laughing. I haven’t climbed out since…but who knows. It’s bound to happen again.

I still love my blankie. I cover my head with it when I’m sleeping. It’s the best.

My vocabulary is growing more and more each day. Yesterday I asked my mom for “waffles with syrup on it, pleeeeeze” and she almost had a heart attack. Last night I said “luv you” to my mom when I was saying goodnight and she gave me a hundred kisses. She calls me her little “tuffy” because I’m a tough boy. I’m still super active and I have no fear! I can’t wait to ride a skateboard one day, like my dad.

I know the whole alphabet now and have started counting. I say “1, 2, 6!” Maybe one day I’ll count to 10.

Today I am going to be playing in the pool at my Nini & Papa Phil’s house. I started off the day with a special birthday donut!

I keep saying baseball cake, so I’m hoping my family gets the point!

Xoxox,

Cooper

recipes, Uncategorized

September 27, 2010

Chicken Avocado BLT Salads

Murphy’s Law says that when I post about a season changing, the season that I’m saying goodbye to comes back to tell me that it hasn’t yet departed. So guess who had a little heat wave this weekend??? The Bay Area! Which meant that it was in the high 80’s at my house!! Saturday night I had a mad craving for BLT sandwiches, but already devoured a tasty grilled cheese/mushroom sandwich at Bar Tartine with my new friends Jenifer & Mati at lunch. You can’t really have sandwiches twice in one day, can you? So I followed my craving and turned it into this hearty Chicken Avocado BLT Salad!

Casey and I enjoyed our meal outside while sitting on the steps of our back deck. Sometimes I forget about the Indian Summer situation we have here during “Fall.” You’d think after 30 years, I’d learn. Doh.

Food craving was fufilled. I am a happy camper. My husband gets some greens in him and we have leftovers for the next day.

High fives all around.

recipes, Uncategorized

September 25, 2010

Couscous with Swish Chard, Raisins & Feta

After posting Brown Butter Biscuits with Sausage Gravy & Baked Caramel Apple Donuts, I felt the need to balance out my indulgences with something on the healthier side. Last Sunday afternoon while Casey worked in the basement and Cooper napped, I made this yummy couscous dish. I stood at my kitchen island, chopping up a huge bunch of dark green & crimson leaves when all of a sudden, a cool draft wafted through the window. I breathed it in and realized that Autumn had arrived. With a little Ray LaMontagne playing in the background, I was in my happy place. Alone in the kitchen, a few pans sizzling behind me with a hearty fall recipe in the making…Life is good.

Have I told you how much I love chard? I’d never thought I’d say that because I absolutely hated it as a child. Chard is a good balance of bitter & sweet and it makes me feel like I’m being super healthy when I’m shoving fistfuls of it in my mouth. Red Swiss chard is an excellent pairing with the sweetness of the plump golden raisins, the hearty nuttiness of the chickpeas and the salty feta crumbles in this dish. There’s soo many fun textures to venture through! The only thing I can’t figure out is whether I like this dish hot or cold because it’s fabulous both ways. It’s definitely going in my fall rotation and next time I might add a poached egg on top…or perhaps some toasted walnuts to the mix? CONTINUE READING

Uncategorized

September 22, 2010

What to bring a new mom?!

Hello Friends!

Last month, the lovely Miss James of Bleubird Vintage brought another beautiful child into the world–little Gemma Bird! I had the opportunity to do a guest post on her fabulous Bleubird Vintage Blog while she was away on maternity leave! You’ll find a few of ideas/recipes/baked treats to bring a new mom & family. Show you care with some yummy treats!

I’d be delighted if you took a look!

Congratulations James & family!!

xoxox

Tracy

p.s- those little footsies belong to Mr. Cooper. He’s gonna be TWO in less than two weeks! EEP!

recipes, Uncategorized

September 20, 2010

Baked Caramel Apple Donuts

When you find yourself shopping online at 2AM, mini donut pans sound like a brilliant idea. That’s not something your sharp witted, practical 12PM mind allows you to consider–especially when your husband begged you not to add anymore items to the kitchen. When you wake up the next morning with a confirmation that your donut pans have shipped, you might find yourself wondering what else you’ve ordered online…Japanese steak knives? (a wise purchase!) A leash for your invisible dog? (I’ve always wanted one!)

On the day these donut pans arrived, I immediately made a batch following the recipe included with the pans. BLECK! They tasted awful. Guess who had shopper’s remorse?! After doing some serious searching, this simple recipe obliterated all the guilt associated with my donut pan purchase–Hello!! Baked Caramel Apple Donuts!!

While diving into my first few donuts, I thought they were awesome but the caramel topping was a bit on the thick/chewy side…An overnight stay on my kitchen counter produced the most amazingly moist caramel saturated donut. That’s right! The caramel seeped INTO the donut. I was also delighted to find that the appley goodness really came out during day two! A cakey donut that gets better on day two?!! Who would have thought? So yes. You should try these and I hope you have enough donuts on day two, so you can see what I mean 😉

p.s.- what if we put some fancy salt on top? OVERLOAD.

recipes, Uncategorized

September 18, 2010

Spiced Cocktail Nuts

I really wish I could tell you that I don’t have a potty mouth and a penchant for bathroom humor. Truth is…I do!! Even as a parent, I still can’t help myself. The fact that my son says “cock” instead of “clock” makes me giggle something fierce.

“Mama? I see a big COCK! See it!? Big COCK!” I just turn my head and bury my face in my hands to muffle the giggles. Inside my head, there’s a 13 year old boy who loves to be indulged with dick & fart jokes. There I said it. I am not ashamed!! I suppose that’s what happens when you grow up with two older brothers…

After making a huge batch of these SPICED COCKTAIL NUTS, Casey and I stood in the kitchen tossing NUT innuendos back and forth. We simply cannot pass up a good NUT joke. Honestly, who can?

“Here! Taste my nuts!!”

“How many nuts can you fit in your mouth?”

So while I was gobbling these nuts, I thought “DANG! These NUTS are spicy! I’m not sure if I like how spicy these NUTS are. But for some reason I can’t stop eating deez NUTS!” And perhaps if you give these NUTS a try, you might find yourself scarfing down NUTS like there’s no tomorrow. They are pretty addictive and you’ll probably grab handfuls of NUTS before you decide it’s time to stop!! They will be great for holiday parties coming up! A crass NUT joke is the perfect way to break the ice with some random person at your friend’s party! If it doesn’t go well, you’ll know they’ve got an anemic sense of humor. Move onto the next victim!