Proud Mom Moment

He scored a goal! He scored a goal! Last night, K scored a goal during his soccer game. D and I of course were proud parents (unfortunately, D missed the goal because he was busy corraling some of the other players.) But I was proud of my little man getting a goal.

True - I did tell him before the game that if he made goal, we'd go and get ice cream after the game. And he tried to negotiate that "just doing his best" was worth ice cream. Of coures, I didn't argue with that, and instead encouraged him to do his best ... and try for a goal!

He was also overall an awesome player last night, with the right amount of aggression, good sportsmanship. I've been so impressed with his growth and improvement on the field. As a parent, you always want the best for your children ... and you want to help them grow and improve. While I know sports aren't the most important thing in the world, it is such a great avenue for confidence to be built and maintained. And K is academically confident, so I am thrilled that he's starting to gain physical confidence, too.

It will be fun to watch the Olympics with him this year, as he is starting to get interested in a variety of sports (let's just keep him away from hockey ...)

Trying to Change the World - One Plate at a Time

Lately, I've been obsessed with watching documentaries about food, the health of the nation and the tragedy that is our American plates. D isn't super thrilled, because I think he is afraid of what it could lead to (remember, we have the kid who read the labels at soccer practice for high fructose corn syrup ...)

But one thing we've been doing for a while is meatless Mondays. (There was a phase pre-kids where we were eating vegetarian, but then once I got pregnant with K, we reintroduced meat into our diets.) Meatless Mondays though to tend to pose an issue when it comes to cooking dinner for D. I appreciate everything he does ... but meal planning is not a strength. He's a great cook, and I'm fortunate that he does the cooking (but I like to cook, so even if he didn't, it would be okay.) However, he's gotten a little lackadaisical when it has come to our meals lately. So, we were going to try to plot our next week's meals on Thursday but ended up forgetting that master plan.

So, you can only imagine my delight when I found this at the bookstore:

It maps out every Monday for the year, arranged by season. And while I would have been fine with just dinner recipes, it gives you meals for the whole day. So, we're going to give the book a try, (of course, it helps that the first recipe for summer is eggplant parmigiana. I'll let you know how it goes, if the recipes are even half as good as the photography, we'll be in good shape!
Here's to helping change the world one plate at a time and eating a little healthier every week.

A Small Vent

Warning! I need to vent for a moment, and so I am doing it here. So if your not in the mood to read a disgruntled spout, then proceed to something a little more fun.

Let me begin with the following statement: I am an overprotective parent. Beyond overprotective. My babies are my world. D and I have never had anyone outside of the family or one of our close friends even watch our children. They are the most precious things in my life. (Now some people would call me crazy based just on this confession. I realize we all have different parenting styles and we each need to do what is right for us.)

Now to why I need to vent. We have a family event next month where we have been asked not to bring O. (Due to the formality of the event, they don't want children under five.) This event actually results in us needing to attend two functions on two different days without O. So, we are bracing ourselves and having one of D's good friends daughters watch O for the shorter event and we agreed that I would then see if someone from my family could watch O the second day for the longer time frame.

So, I email my mother to see if she's available. She responds that why doesn't she just take O for the whole weekend up to the lake and he can stay with my parents in their camper. First, O is the most busy toddler in the world, and he doesn't listen, and he does what he wants. My mom's response is that children act differently when their parents aren't the ones disciplining them. (I have proof from more than one person that this just frankly isn't the case for O.) So, I ignore the email, because I want to make sure I respond very carefully.

Ten minutes later (as I am en route to my bus stop) I see that she called my work phone (which I think should only be used for emergencies if you do not work with me.) Then an hour later, she calls my cell phone ... but we're in the middle of dinner, so I don't answer it. Then five seconds later she calls my house number. I explain that we are eating and ask if I can call her back. She gets all huffy and says, she just needed to ask me two questions and one she needed to ask right away.

So, after dinner, I call her. She brings up the idea of O staying with her. I explain my objections as nicely as possible, but she doesn't let it go. I end the call with no promises. Now, HERE'S THE VENT ... the next day, when she knows I am not home, SHE CALLS D and tries to convince him that we should let them have O for the weekend. He very tactfully handles the situation. (And doesn't even tell me about it until two days later.) I, however, am livid. I cannot believe she would try to go around my back, when she knows how I feel about it and try to convince my husband differently. Fortunately, D and I are a pretty united front and know how we both feel about it. But seriously, how immature, and talk about causing a situation where I am now going to have to be very firm going forward and clearly state ... don't try to get a different answer by asking my husband. (I mean, seriously, this is like a kid going to daddy because mommy said no ... for Pete's sake, my six-year-old doesn't even try that tactic!)

Okay, there, I'm done venting. Thank you.

What Summer Evenings Should Be

This weekend brought this month's edition of my Wine Club. Destination: Piccolo. The summer sessions of wine club tend to be smaller, with Minnesotans attending to their cabins, weddings and other activities filling up the calendar. So for this month, it was just three of us gathering. The three of us all had dined at Piccolo previously, so we knew what to expect: divinity in the form of food.

When Anthony Bordain touts something as one of the best restaurants in the Midwest, you know there's something there. After a raining day of running errands, helping K pick out a father's day gift for D, I was looking forward to relaxing with some good food and great company (and a nice glass of wine.)

Piccolo doesn't disappoint. Let's start with the wine. I love how they offer a carafe option - it's perfect when two people want the same wine, you get about a glass and a half worth of wine a piece for less than a dollar more than the glass. Now that its summer, I'm all about whites (but I have to admit, I've made a foray into roses, and they are not too shabby - definitely nothing like white Zinfandel). I selected the La Cana Albariño, 2010 from Rias Baixas, Spain. This has become one of my favorite summer wines. It's just at the cusp of where it's starting to appear on most wine lists (but not quite as prominent as Viognier) so it tends to be a little pricier, but for me it's worth it.

First course was burrata with compressed oranges, celery, wild fennel pollen and chili oil:

The burrata was creamy, and reminded me of a very fresh cottage cheese, I was hesitant about the fennel pollen, but didn't really notice any overly strong anise flavors and the chili oil was so subtle that there was not really heat to the dish. I wish the oranges had been a tiny bit more compressed or maybe slightly candied. It was a light, refreshing starter for a warm summer evening. Not the best thing I've ever eaten, but good enough to start.

Next I enjoyed white shrimp and razor clams with cucumber, fava beans and sweet potato:

This dish was bursting with flavor, but is not for those who don't wish to get their hands a little dirty. As one of my companions said, "there is just no graceful way to eat this." The shrimp were smothered in a delicious sauce (could have licked my fingers if I wasn't in a fine dining establishment.) The clams and cucumber were refreshing and a great palette cleanser after the flavorful shrimp. The sweet potato and carrot sauce (the dots) were lost side notes in the mountain of flavor, but I think that was how they were meant to be on the plate.

I was most excited about my third course, quail and pork belly with sweet pea falafel, watercress and yogurt:

I cannot refuse pork belly. When I see it on a menu, my mouth salivates. The fact that this plate also arrived with asparagus was like icing on the cake. The quail was tender and melted in my mouth, the pork belly was perfection. I could have dined on this plate over and over again, if I wouldn't have looked like a supreme glutton. There was nothing I would have changed about this dish, it delivered on being the best possible dish I could have imagined.

I finished up my meal with the duck egg pot de crème with chicory sugar and pistachios:

Granted this was the only dessert available gluten-free, it was the one I would have chosen anyway. I am not sure of the point of the micro greens on top, if just for color, and I wish it would have set just a little bit more, but the flavor was smooth and creamy and provided me the right sweet ending to a meal well-done.

It really was a nice ending to a summer day that started out with a delicious breakfast with my oldest son at the cafe in our local co-op (breakfast was amazing!) that ended with great conversation with some lovely ladies. Here's to a great summer ahead.



Travail, Take Two

Last Friday I returned to Travail and enjoyed another ten course tasting menu. It was a friend's birthday, so a group of ladies got together to celebrate the momentous occasion. I've always known that the food and atmosphere play a huge part in how you enjoy your meal, so it was no surprise that the evening was great fun.

The food was, as expected, delightful. But I need to give much praise to their ability to manage to my gluten-free lifestyle. The way the tasting menu works, you split your plate with a dining buddy. My dining buddy is a good friend who said she was willing to enjoy the "gluten-on-the-side" plate. While most courses were practically identical, with an apple chip replacing the bread crouton here and there, the only course that was extremely different was the pasta dish. They provided us a plate of risotto.

I am going to think that they made the risotto special for just us. Even if that's not the truth, I am just going to go on believing it is. So, Travail, take two was marvelous and I think you very much. And I thank KK for having such a brilliant birthday celebration!

Overprotective Parent

We. are. overprotective. parents. We know this, we fully admit it, and we are not ashamed about it. So, how do overprotective parents deal with the dilemma of a summer where there are many potential play dates?

We stress.

Yesterday, when I got home  D asked me if he could tell me about a phone call he received and if I would tell him how I would've handled the situation. Apparently one of K's classmates called. As in, the six-year-old classmate - not the parent. They wanted K to come over for a sleepover. D was taken a bit off guard, so he asked the child if he could speak to their parent.

He then proceeded to tell me how the parent was very high energy, and started talking about the kids having a play date and sleepover ... but she did come to and realize that ... well, it might be good if we got to know the parents first. After much finagling on a date, they settled on this Friday. (D admitted that he was initially aiming to schedule the play date on a weekend so that I would have to be the parent to go.)

I told him that all of his red flags were the exact same ones I was going to have, and then I asked him the question he knew was coming, but was deeply dreading ... "So, you're planning on staying there during the play date right?"

Okay, okay, I know ... it's probably a bit much ... but I do expect him to stay for at least the first portion to make sure he feels comfortable. He acknowledged that he felt the same way, but was hoping that I wouldn't have said it. I mean, it's our baby, and I only leave him to those I know and have developed serious trusting relationships. Hell, I'll probably make him take me on any dates he goes on in high school. (Okay, I may be exaggerating ... but then again, maybe not!)

So, I'll be holding my breathe all day on Friday, until I know he is back safe and sound.

Sophistificated Foodie

This post is a few days post-due. Wednesday was K's last day of Kindergarten. So, D and I decided that to "officially" kick off summer vacation, he should get a special dinner (or at least get to choose what dinner should be.)

So, we called him into the office where we were talking and shared the news. We then asked him what he wanted for dinner. He responded that he needed a few minutes to think about it, since it was just sprung on him at that moment. After about two minutes, he looked at us both and said ... "sushi, please."

D and I both made a comment that expressed our surprise at the selection. K's response: "What, did you think I was going to say pizza?" To which we both had to confess, that yes, that is exactly what we thought he was going to pick. His answer to that, "We'll have pizza on Friday." (Which yes, Friday is always pizza and movie night.)

Fortunately, a new Japanese restaurant just opened in our hood, so sushi didn't mean a run to get grocery-store sushi from Target (which in all fairness, is perfectly suitable ... but limited, oh so limited, in the options.) So, we pulled up the menu for the new restaurant and placed our orders.

K and I went to go pick it up (and the only 30 minutes it poured all day was during this time frame.) From the order to the pick up to the eating of the sushi, it was great. Oh, D and I were oh so happy about this, we'll just have to watch our sushi habit now that we know this place is good. And more importantly, we need more people to eat there to ensure it stays around. (From photos on their facebook page, it looks like they have a nice steady flow of traffic ... so I am hoping.) Because frankly, there are only so many pubs this suburb can support, and we needed some variety.

And kudos to having such an awesome kid that he would choose sushi over pizza! Yay for me!

The Age Gap

Yesterday at work, I had the pleasure of viewing a presentation about a specific age demographic. This well-known organization had a name for the group (but I think it's proprietary.) It was those people who bridge the gap between the Gen Xers and the Millennials.

However, that is not what the invite said initial. Instead, it said how it was going to discuss the oldest Millennials, and then it shared the age range 25 - 34. So, at first I was quite confused, because this would include me ... and I've never considered myself a Millennial. So, I was grateful for the clarification at the beginning when they explained it was those at the very end of the Xers and the beginning of the Millennials. For some reason, I could feel more comfortable with that label (if we must be labeled.)

I didn't learn anything new from the presentation, just nodded, was sort of amazed at the questions asked and sometimes started to think about the weekend. There was one part of the presentation that did take me by surprise. They explained that they asked the different generations to pick a movie that they felt like defined their generation. First they showed the boomers, and there were movies like Star Wars, American Graffiti. Then they asked us what we thought the Xers picked. I immediately thought  Reality Bites, Singles ... nope, Xers selected The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire.  My gut said, man, those are old movies (but after talking to D tonight, who is in the middle of Gen X - he validated that those were the right movies. Then they showed the bridge group ... and I was sadly disappointed. While movies like The Breakfast Club showed up on the word cloud ... the movie most frequently mentioned was The Hangover.

Really? Really? We are saying this movie defined us as a generation ... a situation where you don't remember what happened about the night before. A movie I had to force myself to watch to convince myself that I would at some point find the humor. (Sorry fans of the movie, this one just didn't go over in my house.) They showed us what younger Millennials picked and they had options like Mean Girls. Okay, I get that, it's relevant its about people in that age category ... so again, The Hangover? Right when I was finally feeling somewhat comfortable being categorized ... it all came crashing down.

So, here's to no labels.

Only Two Days Left of Kindergarten

It is so hard to believe that my baby only has two days left of Kindergarten. This whole, they grow up so fast is the most painful cliche because it's so damn true. I remember when K was a baby, I blinked, and now he's such a young man that my heart aches when I hear him sound so grown up.

Every day my boys bring me such joy. And they mesmerize me with how their minds work. But seriously, we're already moving past Kindergarten?? On the other end of the spectrum, O is still very much a toddler, so his terrible two tantrums make me even more grateful that K is older and past that stage. And I have really lucked out that even at the old age of six, K is a snuggler.

Now, I'm afraid our summers are going to go speeding past us because we will have the school year to mark passages in time. Part of it might be that I also can't believe I'm in my mid-thirties, as I hear other "young-ins" talk about their ten year college reunions and then do the math and realize, yep, I've been out of college even longer than that ... and maybe it's because I think I found two new grey hairs today. (And I can't remember, did I share about my long grey eye brow hair?? That was frightening.)

Here's to time slowing down just a bit ... please ... just a bit.