Next Time, I'm Eating Cracker Jacks.

Last weekend, at my request, we spent Mother's Day watching our local minor league team play baseball. It was a beautiful day. Sunny and warm, but not too sunny and warm. It was nice. 

 

We sat had "lawn seats" which meant we sat on a grassy section by the left outfield, you know that section behind the first baseman (that's what you call it, "the left outfield," right Liz?).  We brought a large blanket to sit on, and enjoyed the fact that we weren't confined to stadium-style seats with a squirmy toddler.

 
 Lola enjoyed the freedom that is ballpark food. Nachos for her! And, a "Dinger Dog" for me. The last time I ate a hot dog was probably a decade ago, and I think eating the Dinger Dog made up for all that lost time.

Unfortunately, the River Cats lost the game, but the highlight for me was the 4th inning. That's when Lola stood up, looked very concerned and said, "Mama, WHERE ARE THE CATS?!"  Duped once again!

Chopsticks, the wooden kind.

Last week for my birthday, we went to dinner at my favorite sushi restaurant.  Out of the blue, Lola picked up her chopsticks and CORRECTLY used them. I didn't figure out how to use chopsticks until well into my teenage years, so it's needless to say I was blown away. Besides, this kid can barely use a fork.

A Monologue of Sorts

When Lola finds a book that she loves, we tend to read it over and over AND over. As result, I find myself committing them to memory.

Let's see...like Madeline.
"In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines." 

Or, Farmyard Tales
"This is Apple Tree Farm. This is the farmer, Mrs. Boot. She has two children called Poppy and Sam, and a dog called Rusty."

Or, Duck on a Bike
One day, down the farm, Duck had a wild idea. "I bet I could ride a bike," he said."

On nights were Lola is feeling fiercely independent, she likes to sit on my lap and read to herself (rather than have me read to her).  It's obvious that I'm not the only one memorizing these books. Right now, her favorite is Where the Wild Things Are.

 

Eat the Stalks, Not the Leaves, and Other Garden Lessons

One thing that I like about being a novice gardener is that I am always learning something new.

Last spring, after having a conversation with Rachel about how amazing rhubarb is, I decided to try and grow some. I planted a small seedling, and patiently waited for the magic to happen.
It definitely grew.

But, while it was growing, I discovered that rhubarb can't be harvested in its first season. At a minimum, you have to wait until its second season, which is an ENTIRE YEAR.  This required a lot of patience on my behalf because I like to eat my garden bounty as quickly as it grows. 

Given that I was also warned that rhubarb leaves are poisonous (you can only eat the stalks), I wasn't going to press my luck. So I've been waiting.

And waiting.

And waiting.

And now it's over three feet tall.

Finally, last weekend, I chopped off a few stalks and ran into the kitchen. I knew I wanted to make strawberry-rhubarb bars, but I didn't have a recipe. I decided to combine recipes from two of my favorite cooks, Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Martha Stewart, veganizing it in honor of Rachel (and the fact that I didn't have any butter) and now I'll share it with you:

D's Strawberry-Rhubarb Blondie Bars
Compote by D, inspired by Isa:
2 cups of strawberries, cut into fourths
1 cup of rhubarb, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 tablespoons cornstarch (or tapioca or arrowroot)
1/2 cup cold water
1/3 cup sugar

Blondie layer by Isa:
3 3/4 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 (6oz) container plain or vanilla soy yogurt (greek yogurt also works)
1/4 cup rice milk (soy or cow milk also works)
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Crumb topping by Martha:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup canola oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. 

Make the compote:
Mix cornstarch with cold water in small bowl, until dissolved. Combine strawberries and rhubarb in a saucepan, add cornstarch mixture. Add sugar.  Bring to a vigorous boil and then to a low boil, stirring often (it burns easily!). Cook for approx. 5 minutes. Remove from heat.


Make the blondie batter:
Stir together flour, baking soda, salt.  Add yogurt, milk, oil, sugar, and vanilla.  Mix well. Batter will be thick.

Make the crumb topping:
Mix flour, salt, brown sugar together. Drizzle in the oil, and mix well.



Put it all together:
Spread batter in prepared pan.  Spread compote on top, then sprinkle crumb topping on top of that. Bake for 35 minutes, and let it cool completely before serving.

One more post on Easter

On Easter morning, Lola woke up to find her Easter basket, filled to the brim with lots of goodies. Somehow, and I'm not quite sure how this has happened, Lola believes that the Easter Bunny operates like Santa and brings her Easter basket in the middle of the night. I never explicitly told her that the Easter Bunny was the deliverer, but that is what she believes and so we have just rolled with it.

(The Easter Bunny also brought treats for Dani, who was in town to do some college tours, and Josh. This photo clearly tells the hierarchy in the family, with Josh getting the brown paper sack. If you are wondering about me, I didn't make myself a basket because I ate almost an entire bag of cadbury mini eggs while putting together all the other baskets.) 

After breakfast, we got dressed and went outside for an egg hunt. Lola insisted on wearing her turtle backpack. Perhaps, she believed it was necessary for egg overflow?

 Victory!

 With all of her eggs.

 

And, a quick family photo.

Easter in the Park

I know that Easter was nearly two weeks ago, but I finally downloaded the photos. I would like to also take this moment to say, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S ALREADY APRIL. Mid-April, at that. Practically end of April. Please enjoy these photos from our neighborhood's "Easter Eggstravaganza", while I hunch over a yellow note pad and write a giant to do list for the rest of the month.

Hunting for eggs.

Victory!

At the 4-H booth, visiting the goats.

Not so into the pig. 

Lola begged and begged to go on the little train (i.e., tractor pulling train-like cars).  We waited in line for nearly 20 minutes, which is probably the longest I have ever waited in line for anything with Lola. I was shocked by her ability to be patient. I really need a small train at my disposal so I can get her to put away her toys.

  Also, I have no idea who the guy was that was driving the train (volunteer parent, park groundskeeper, homeless guy sleeping in the park), but let me say that once we boarded, I realized that this man should not have been driving the train.

This Bunny sequence is possibly my favorite Lola-with-giant-character-in-a-costume ever. It has awkward all over it. 

Things She Says

Lola is standing in front of the TV, watching Dora the Explorer.
Dora says, "Say A-BUL-ITA with me."
Lola looks at the TV and says, "NO."

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Me: Lola, time for you to put on your shoes.
Lola: How about YOU put on YOUR shoes?

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After reading a Richard Scarry book that discussed holidays, Lola says,  "I want you to dress up like a skeleton, and I will dress up like the Easter Bunny, and it will be Christmas."

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Lately, at bedtime, she'll go to say good night to Josh, and she'll say, "Good night, SIR."

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When she wants to play, she assigns the roles. 
"Mommy, I want you to be Megatron. Daddy will be Megamind. I will be Super Martian Robot Peanut Butter Girl."

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Looking at pregnancy photos of me.
"Mommy, I came out of your belly so I could go to San Francisco to see Amy."

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After looking at photos of our recent San Diego trip, she said, "Next time, I want to go to Sea World with Papa Lou.  Grandma can stay at home."

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After looking at more photos of our San Diego trip, she said, "Grandma is my favorite mom."