Crawling and Jumping and Oh, MY!

Meanwhile, back at the cookie chapter...

I had given up baking for the summer, but then today its only 67 degrees in July and, well, it feels like cookie baking weather. So! Back to the Cooks Illustrated cookie chapter. What haven't I tried yet? Turns out, a lot of things. My god, that chapter is long. The next chapter I tackle will have to be shorter. Anyhoo, I decided to give the Hermits a try. Weird name for what is essentially a molasses cookie. According to the book, the name is derived from the fact that these are even better after they've been tucked away for a few days. They're kind of like molasses biscotti and good for dunking in coffee. They use the same spices as the Molasses with Rum Glaze that are devoured around here in seconds. And, they are easy since they are baked in a log and then cut apart. The verdict? Delicious!

Hot Pink Pasta

What to do with all those summer beets? Try this!

4 red beets with stems and leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbls extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon
1/2 lb pasta
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese

Wash and dice the beets into 1/2 inch cubes, cut the stems into 1 inch pieces, wash, dry and chop the leaves into inch wide ribbons. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan, add the garlic and the diced beets. Season with salt. Saute until starting to soften, add the stems and cook a few minutes more until everything is soft but not mushy. Add the leaves and wilt. Squeeze lemon over the beets and greens, salt and pepper to taste, remove from heat.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions, until al dente. You want the noodles a little undercooked so that they soak up the beet sauce.

Drain pasta, but do not rinse, and immediately toss with the beets. Add more olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and top with cheese. Eat!

The pasta will soak up the beet sauce and turn bright pink/red. Kids think this is cool. Try serving it to your pink-obsessed little princess. Use whole wheat pasta for more of a nutritional punch. Beets are loaded with folate and potassium as well as fiber and are very, very good for you. Just don't tell the princess that...

He's on the move!

Riding the carousel at Como Park with Daddy

Oh, baby, baby, baby boy. You are growing up too fast. This week in Henry's world, developments and frustrations abound. He is too busy practicing his new found physical abilities to sit still long enough to do things like drink milk or eat. He is only nursing twice a day now, at bedtime and in the morning and has decided that he does not care for the bottle. Instead, he's gone straight to the sippy cup, albeit with the soft, nipple-like spout. For two weeks now, he's been up on his hands and knees rocking and I've found him sitting up in the crib. Yesterday, he pulled up to his knees in the crib, reminding me that I have to keep that rail up! Look what I can do, Momma!

This morning Nathan and I saw him go from hands and knees to sitting on his bum in one swift motion. He will be crawling in the next few days as he is rapidly figuring out how to move his knees and hands forward. He lunges for the kitties and soon will be all-out terrorizing them.On the move

All this new activity makes for frustration for both Momma and baby. He insists on twisting around dangerously on the changing table, making for difficult diaper changes. He has grown an opinion about where he wants to be when and I forecast major battles of will between the young son and I. At the same time, I am thrilled and his accomplishments and sad, too, that he won't be an infant much longer. He'll be weaned from the breast in another month and I'll miss nursing a lot. However, the prospect of kicking Daddy out of bed when the boy wakes up and sleeping in is increasingly appealing...

Beach Baby

This week in the CSA - Yummy Stir Fry

It's no secret that Wednesdays tend to be stir-fry night at our house. It's is the night I throw every veggie that is left in the fridge into the pan in an effort to clear the decks before the next delivery on Thursday. Last week: Lemon chicken with snap peas, carrots, etc. This week: Tofu with baby bok choi and summer squash in oyster sauce!

Walleye Fishing Weekend with the Grandpeeps

It's my goal to get Hank out into the elements as much as possible. Kids need to be outside in my opinion. I spent most of my childhood out-of-doors and I want the same for him. Nathan was itching for some walleye fishing and we'd been meaning to spend some time with the folks so we tied all three together by having all four of Henry's grandparents meet us at Stony Point near Walker, MN on Leech Lake for a long weekend. The first morning we were up early and I was able to go fishing with Nathan and Merald and the Grandmoms watched Henry. We caught 5 fish that morning, 2 walleye keepers that were just under the 18" slot. Nathan and Merald caught more the second day, but they were too big too keep as they were in the 20 -22" inch range. Leech Lake regulations currently call for all walleye between 18-26" to be immediately returned to the water in an effort to boost the breeding population of the lake.

Happy Nathan at the helm

Later that day, I took Henry to the beach and let him play in the water for the first time. I was relieved that he liked the water and plan to teach him to swim as soon as possible. As much as I like swimming in lakes, I was a bit put off by the Mayfly stew happening that day. A huge hatch had deposited millions of carcasses in the water and make swimming a little unappetizing.
We also took the boy for his first ride in daddy's boat. He didn't hate wearing the life jacket, but was confused and uncomfortable. He smiled a lot and looked around, especially at the splashing water. He ended up being lulled into a sound sleep by the motion of the boat by the time we got back to camp.

I love sleeping in tents, especially when its raining, and we had a great rain storm on the second night. Henry slept so soundly that we all slept in until 9am, entranced by the sound.

Dinner on Saturday night was memorable as it was more of a disaster than dinner. Just as we were about to sit down to eat the sky grew very dark, there was a single clap of thunder and we had to scramble to get the picnic table, the food, drinks and baby out of the sudden and drenching downpour. Everyone got a little wet, Henry wouldn't eat, Nathan's campfire nearly went out, several drinks were spilled and it was all fairly chaotic and funny. But, the brats were tasty and hot, everyone got enough to eat and we're not likely to forget it.

Overall it was a great weekend. We caught fish, slept well and the grandparents all got plenty of baby time. I think a good time was had by all.