Anniversaries, Campanile, and Kids

If it's not in my calendar or on my "to do" list, I will forget it.

Case in point, my 2 year blogiversary came and went with nary a sigh. Back in June of 2007, I was posting a ridiculous 3, 4, or 5 times a day. Wow. These days, it feels like I'm averaging more like once a week. What a difference a baby makes.

They Call Me Mommy - June 2007

Speaking of dates of significance, tomorrow MetaDaddy will find out if he has to travel on business during our anniversary. If he has to go, he has to go. I guess we can't do our annual Campanile dinner. We've done it 2 years in a row, but that counts as annual in my book!

A nice dinner out with 2 kids under 3. Hmmm...just as well, you say? Perhaps. That's what MetaDaddy would probably say if he wasn't scared to ;-)

Aer Lingus Cuts San Francisco to Dublin Route

As a family that routinely flies to Dublin, Ireland from Los Angeles, we were in agony when Aer Lingus, the only airline to fly a direct route between the cities, canceled it. MetaGirl comes along, and they pull this on us. Why, why, why?!?

"The airline is stopping Shannon flights to Chicago from September 1, while services from Dublin to Washington and San Francisco are being dropped from October 25. It says the restart of these services in summer next year will be 'subject to review'."

Ugh. We flew via Chicago last time. A pallet of luggage and bathroom water froze while being loaded on the plane. We will not be doing that again. We were hoping to go via SF this Christmas, but it doesn't look like that'll be happening.

Back to the drawing board.

Aer Lingus cuts US winter service

Better Cake Mix Alternative?

I like baking, but it can be such a daunting task with kids running/crawling in circles around your legs. Making the batter for a cake or cupcake is really quite easy, especially in a food processor). But sometimes, it's more the thought of baking from scratch that's a deal killer. The thought of taking out the flour, baking powder, salt...putting them all away...cleaning up. Blegh!

One of the bigger benefits to home baking is using good ingredients, and knowing that there are no partially hydrogenated fats or high fructose corn syrup lurking in there. As such, while I'm not a fan of cake mixes, I can appreciate what this one offers.

Naturally Nora Cake Mixes

Stars Cake Mix Ingredients: Unbleached Wheat Flour, Sugar, Chocolate Cookies (Wheat Flour, Sugar, Canola Oil, Cocoa, Baking Soda, Salt, Rosemary Extract), Baking Soda, Natural Vanilla Flavor, Cream of Tartar, Salt, Carob Bean Gum, Guar Gum Contains Wheat Produced In A Facility That Also Uses Mllk, Soy and Tree Nuts.

There are currently only 6 reviews on Amazon, but they're all positive. So maybe they taste OK? Possibly, dare I say, good?

Is it the best option? I'd say no. But if you're gonna open a box, this feels like a better option.

I probably won't be using it any time soon since I've got a baking bug right now, and MetaDaddy kindly asked that I stop trying to fatten him up.

Time to fatten the kids up, I suppose ;-)

Via Daily Candy

UV Index Forecast

I was listening to the radio, and someone mentioned that the UV Index forecast for the Los Angeles area will be 10 tomorrow. What does that mean? That means that a fair skinned person who isn't wearing sunscreen can get burned in 4 minutes.

Let me say that again.

FOUR MINUTES!!

It takes me about that much time to get the mail.

Whatever about me, it's the kids I worry about. Sun damage as a child carries through for the rest of your life. Besides which the worst damage is experienced as a child. I've heard before age 6 is crucial, and I've heard before age 20. Either way, best to be careful with delicate skin, especially early on.

MetaBoy is fair, but his skin leans towards mine, so we both tan instead of burning (to a point, of course). Obviously, he still wears sunscreen, but I don't think I'm as paranoid as I could be. MetaGirl, however, is like a sheet of paper. She practically glows in the dark. Her porcelain skin would not tolerate any sun, I'm sure of it. Much like MetaDaddy, I'm sure she will burn, not tan. I always keep her covered, be it in her stroller or under a hat, but she'll only tolerate that for so much longer. Then, the sunscreen fight will begin.

Sigh.

Check out the UV Index Forecast for your area. And keep your sunscreen handy.

Note to self: Buy more sunscreen.

Hate Your Printer?

I'm pretty sure I've felt like this...

The Damn Printer Just Won't Work

David Lebovitz's Shopping List

One of the best shopping lists ever!!

List everything you're making, highlight what you need to buy. Brilliant.

David Lebovitz's Prep List

Prix Fixe at P. F. Chang's

Do you like P. F. Chang's? They've got a prix fixe special: Four course dinner for two for $39.95. The website mentions Valentine's Day, but there's no expiration on the deal. So if you're interested, might be worth a call to your Chang's of choice.

Around the Internet: Food

Bad, bad, naughty food.

The Cookie Cake Pie - This is so over the top. My teeth hurt just looking at it!

Chain Restaurants Engaged in Obesity-Promoting "Waist Race" - Ever had the Cheesecake Factory's Fried Macaroni and Cheese Balls? "With 1,570 calories and 69 grams of saturated fat, you'd be better off eating an entire stick of butter."

If that's not a motivation to cook at home, I don't know what is. To spur on that sentiment, here are 5 things that we don’t have to do in the kitchen.

That said, even if you cook at home, that doesn't mean your "healthy food" is what it claims to be. This article addresses some misleading manufacturer's labels found on chicken, salt substitutes, artificial sweeteners, wheat bread, foods containing fiber, and foods claiming to not contain trans fats. For example,

"roughly one-third of the fresh chicken sold in the U.S. is 'plumped' with water, salt and sometimes a seaweed extract called carrageenan that helps it retain the added water." How does that impact your dinner? "Untreated chicken has about 45 to 60 mgs of sodium per four-ounce serving. So-called enhanced or 'plumped' chicken has between 200 and 400 mgs of sodium per serving, almost as much as a serving of fast-food french fries."

Maybe it's just as well that Jamie Oliver will be putting a U.S. city on a diet.

Movie: Away We Go

I LOVE Dave Eggers. I thoroughly believe his book "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" defined a generation. If you got it, you really found Eggers speaking your thoughts, even though his situation was probably nothing like yours. If you didn't get it, then you probably thought he was a whining idiot. I got it, and I've had a soft spot for him ever since. Mind you, it's been at least 10 years since I read the book, so who knows how I'd feel about it today.

I just heard about a new movie directed by Sam Mendes and co-written by...Dave Eggers! Away We Go, per the trailer, is reminiscent of Juno, but for adults. Funny, heart warming, soul searching...how do you handle getting your life ready when you've got a baby on the way. Maybe it's a movie that girls can relate to...especially those who've had a baby...and are me.

Eh, I don't know who the audience is, but I know that if we didn't have to pay $100 for movie tickets, a meal, and babysitter, we'd see this as soon as it hit theaters. Ah, parenthood.

Looking forward to the full feature via Netflix. In the meantime, the trailer.

Trailer: Away We Go

New Cookbooks: Ratio and The Flavor Bible

I cook at home for my family. The extent of my training is from cookbooks, which I read for fun (easier to finish than a novel these days), and TV personalities, primarily those with entertaining accents (yes, Jacques, I'm looking at you).

But you don't really learn much from those sources, other than a specific recipe and an occasional tip. One of the reasons I watch Alton Brown religiously and subscribe to Cook's Illustrated is because I want to know how the cooking and baking processes work, so that I can understand how to negotiate a recipe to serve my needs.

Yes, certain foods are easy to vary (e.g., add more vegetables, use less salt). I have no problem changing things up in a stew, for example. Herbs and spices are always mere suggestions. And there's always room for some vermouth! But when it comes to making bread, pie crusts, or cakes, I'm at the mercy of my recipe books. I love my books, but sometimes I wish I understood why certain ingredients are listed so that I know whether or not I can substitute or omit them all together.

Enter Michael Ruhlman. His most recent book is Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking. This is the book I've been looking for since I burned, cut, and maimed myself while foraging for sustenance in my sad little kitchen oh so long ago. This book gives you the ratios of how to make foods that require precision, thereby offering me a foundation from which to be creative in the kitchen.

For example, as he states after offering the ratio for bread is 5 parts flour to 3 parts water:

"You can make fresh bread without opening a single book or scouring a website for random recipes, and you can make as much or as little as you like. That 500 grams of flour or 20 ounces of flour with the water, a pinch of dry yeast, and 2 big pinches of salt make a good loaf of bread. But if you want to liven it up, add a tablespoon of freshly chopped rosemary and a head of roasted garlic and stretch it out for a roasted garlic and rosemary ciabatta. Other fresh herbs such as thyme, sage, and oregano work beautifully, too. Or use other intense, flavorful ingredients: poblano and chipotle peppers, kalamata olives and walnuts, chocolate and cherries, pistachios and cranberries. Caramelized onion! A sausage! Cheese! The variations are limitless because you know the ratio, 5 parts flour, 3 parts water."

After giving you ratios and a few other tips, he gives you a few recipes to understand how to use the information. Because the point isn't to walk away with a recipe, it's to walk away with an understanding of how you can make every recipe bend and yield at your command!! Mwa, ha, haaaaa!! Hmm...too much? OK, it's at least a great tool in understanding how you can manipulate recipes to suit your ingredients on hand, or alter the servings needed (serves 4 vs. serves 8 isn't always a matter of doubling everything).

Now that this book is in my hot little hands, I'm much more keen on getting The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. After hearing about it at every turn (a fun review here), I checked it out from the library, and found that it wasn't for me. Much like a dictionary, it lists foods and their complimentary pairings. For example, if you look up cherries, it will list every food that goes well with cherries, as well as a list of foods that go exceptionally well with cherries. Personally, I found that it put the onus on me of understanding what I cook, and that's just silly. But as I feel a bit more confident in cooking and baking, I might feel more inclined to have such a tool in my kitchen. As a home cook, it really can come in handy. If I'm debating on what to do for dinner and I know I have some herbs or vegetables that I want to use up before they go off, this book would be a great way to figure out how I can use a few ingredients effectively. Things like that don't just come to me...I need help! And how likely is it that I'll find a recipe in a random book or online as easily? Riiiiiight.

So these are my exciting new kitchen finds. Have you seen anything exciting out there?

Farmers' Market Shopping Cart

‘Hook and Go’ Urban Shopper - I see these at the farmers' market all the time. Given that we'll be using a stroller for the foreseeable future, I don't need this. But, oh how sleek and smart. One day...one day...

$59.95 @ Sur La Table

Recipe: $10 Meals for 4 via NPR

How Low Can You Go? $10 Meals for 4 on NPR - Four recipes submitted by professionals, all ringing in under $10. Personally, I love Jose Andres (a charming Spaniard, though aren't they all ;-), but all of the recipes look good!

From Chef Jose Andres, A Family Favorite For $10

Navy Chef Gets Creative With A $10 Skate Meal

Chef Ming Tsai Makes $10 Dish His Kids Love

The Neelys Get Playful With A $9 Mac 'N' Cheese

And if you continue on to the comments, you'll find hundreds of recipes submitted by readers.

Los Angeles vs My Mood

Ya see, I want to be in a good mood. I really do! And today, I have no serious symptoms of the bug that MetaBoy oh so graciously passed on to me. There's a bit of a sore throat, but no fever, no chills, no headache...two miserable days, and I'm feeling good again. And I got a lot of rest, since I had little energy to do anything other than watch TV with the kids.

But I digress. I woke up smiling with energy to spare. Had a busy day making up for the big load of nothing that I've done all week, including grocery shopping. It's amazing how quickly you can run out of food when you don't buy more. As I said in a recent tweet, we haven't relied on take-out this much since MetaGirl was born. In driving around and getting things done with my positive attitude, it occurred to me: it's hard to stay in a good mood in this city.

Trader Joe's - It's a small store with narrow aisles and a lot of shoppers. Why do people leave their carts in the middle of an aisle, blocking other shoppers, and walk off as if enchanted by elves? Or perhaps they insist on "gently" pushing you as they walk past, despite the fact that you're carrying a baby and you're hardly in anyone's way. Maybe, if you're lucky, that pushy older lady who just had to get in the store right NOW might say "thanks" as she sees the pile of rubble left in her wake. Slight exaggeration? Perhaps. But only slight. This is the last time I go to Trader Joe's in a good mood. I need to be crabby to go there if I'm going to defend us.

Traffic - People don't know / understand / respect traffic laws. I understand getting distracted by a "shiny" and not noticing the light has changed. We've all been there. But don't make a left from the right lane...while crossing 2 lanes of traffic. That is NOT OK.

Home Maintenance - Someone turned the ringer off on the phone. I don't know who did it, and I don't really care. I didn't notice for days since we don't get many calls at home. We only realized it when the answering machine came on this morning despite the lack of rings. I was going to check it, but I forgot. So when the lady called with the estimate I had been expecting for several days, I missed the call. In her message, she said something to the effect of *gee, you're phone and fax machine are the same number. I'm leaving for the day, so I guess I'll have to call you tomorrow to fax you the estimate.*

My reaction:

• If you can print out an estimate, you have a computer. Get an email account. Use it.
  
• If you have an estimate, you have a dollar figure. Don't hang up without giving me some information.
  
• If you're calling me to tell me essentially...nothing...don't call me.

And while we're at it...

• When you give me a time frame for service, honor it. If you don't, don't start calling me a week before the bill is "due" to "remind" me.
  
• Be thorough. Don't change shower handles without suggesting it might be a good time to change washers. As far as I'm concerned, if that unchanged washer is the cause of a leak, it's you're fault.

Is it just me? Is it just Los Angeles?

Costco Proposed Settlement of Class Action

Just a little FYI...

Costco - Notice of Pendency and Proposed Settlement of Class Action ("Notice") - If you're a member of Costco, this might benefit you.

Here are some broad strokes:

• "If you have been a Costco member at any time since March 1, 2001, you may be entitled to benefits from a class action settlement."
  
  
• "The Complaint alleges that Costco members who pay an annual membership fee to renew their Costco memberships after their expiration date has passed received a renewal membership term of 12 months beginning from the previous expiration date, instead of the date on which they paid their renewal fee. For example, if a Costco membership expired on January 31, 2008, and the Costco member renewed the membership 2 months later on March 31, 2008, the members renewal membership would expire on January 31, 2009, not March 31, 2009."
  
  
• "Costco members who renewed their memberships 3 months or more after their previous expiration date will receive 3 months of free membership. The value of this benefit is $12.50 or $25.00, depending on the type of membership."

How to Freeze Everything

I've been reading a lot of random things about food lately. Mark Bittman, NY Times columnist and author of How to Cook Everything, has some tips on saving money in the kitchen. Here's how he puts it:

"If I tried to sell you a new appliance that could help you save money, reduce food waste and get meals on the table faster, the only thing you’d ask would be 'How much?'"

Ah, how we take our freezers for granted. Well, his article has some great tips on what foods to freeze and how. Best tip I took away from this: since food doesn't get "better" in the freezer, it should be used in weeks or months, not years.

Here's an accompanying video of him on the Today Show. It's short, amusing, and informative. But you'll get a lot more information from the article.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

.jaypg

This bird prolly takes better pictures than I do ;-)


see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Around the Internet

Healthy lifestyle triggers genetic changes: study - It turns out it's never to late to change habits for the better. Don't just blame genetics. Do something!!

Sugar Content in Packaged Breakfast Foods - A visual aid. And if you want to check other foods like processed snacks, beverages, and more, click at the links on the top of the page.

Our Milk Money - Here's an interesting website where self-employed parents list their products or services. So with your purchase, you can help support a family. And if you're a parent looking to make some money on the side, this might be a good place to list yourself.

News Map - A cool, if overwhelming, news aggregator.

Blame Poverty, Not Pork, for the Swine Flu - So the article is interesting, but a rather nutty comment stuck out.

"IPCC chair Rajendra Pachauri says we should have two or more meat-free days a week. New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman equates the environmental impacts of livestock production to those of nuclear war. On the loopier side is Paul McCartney’s ex-wife, Heather Mills, whose global warming worries led her to recommend that people switch from cow’s milk to milk from dogs and rats."

OMG! If it's between rats milk and no milk, how about no milk, for goodness' sake!?!

I'm just saying.

Photostory Friday: Dining Express

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

So, with MetaGirl rolling everywhere, putting everything in her mouth, and generally taking all sorts of liberties with MetaBoy's toys, MetaBoy's trains are often banned from the living room. I feel bad, but those little magnets are like some tasty little treats to her...how do you say no to a tempted infant? You don't. Eliminate the temptation.

Poor MetaBoy :-(

But he found the fix. The trains, tracks, and all related paraphernalia, are now dining room accessories.

Oh bother.

Dancing Fool

It's Friday. Feel good. Dance!

Bird Loves Ray Charles

Recipe: Farmers' Market Spring Melange

Here's a contribution to Kerry's Farmers' Market Report. Fun!

Amelia Saltsman, author of one of my favorite cookbooks, The Santa Monica Farmers' Market Cookbook, inspired me yet again. Well, she and the farmers' offerings this week. I kept walking past the beautiful English peas thinking "must resist, must resist." Shelling the peas can be tedious. Furthermore, the minute the pea is picked, the sugars starts to break down into starch (if I remember correctly), which means that by the time you buy "fresh" peas from the grocery store, they're unlikely be very sweet at all. If you want sweet peas, your better off using frozen. I've heard this many, many times, so I guess you could say it's been drilled in to my "pea" brain.

But I did it anyway. Why? Who can resist the thrill of a challenge!?! Besides, the peas at the market are pretty fresh, so it's the best case scenario for fresh peas.

I took her Spring Melange recipe as a guide, and bought what I found and/or liked at the market. My melange included leeks, green garlic, Swiss chard, asparagus, English peas, mint, and lemon.

I've never used green garlic, but it was actually lovely. Its mild, garlicy flavor permeated the dish without overpowering it. I used fava beans last time, but heavens...if shelling peas was tedious, fava beans are at a whole new level (shell, boil, peel from skin). Speaking of, I found shelling the peas rather therapeutic, though MetaDaddy thought I was nuts to try it and rather discouraged such future endeavors. We'll see about that. As for the Swiss chard, I felt it toughened up the feel of the dish. I'll try spinach instead next time.

The final touch of mint and a good bit of lemon really brightened up the dish. I threw in some chopped up roasted chicken and served it with brown rice for a well rounded meal.

I'll definitely be doing it again!