The Bunny Box

I know, I know. It's been a while since my last post. I'm supposed to be better about keeping up on it, but I'm not. For what it's worth, I have a lot to talk about today! My first story is kind of sad and tragic. You see, a few days ago, I decided to try making "Coffee Pops." I'd seen the idea on several other blogs and thought it would be a good way to get my coffee while holding my daughter without worrying about scolding her.  So I brewed a pot of coffee, mixed it with milk and splenda, and poured it into my bunny Popsicle molds. I had high hopes and I was eager. Perhaps TOO eager. The next morning, I went to remove a popsicle from one of the molds, but it hadn't loosened enough and my dear, sweet bunny pop cracked in half. In honor of the bunny's memory, I wrote a poem.   Ode To A Popsicle Stick    Little Bunny Fu-Fu  That's what I might have called you  But your life was cut too short to have a name.  ...

Things are heating up here on the East Coast, and the humidity doesn't help. So this week for shabbos, I decided to try my hand at a simple sorbet. I went for watermelon because I'm seeing them everywhere and they're just sooooo tempting when you feel sticky and icky after being outside for only 10 minutes. And as I had also bought a bunch of mint leaves so I could make some Limonana , I figured why not add a little mint. The result is this beautifully pink, deliciously refreshing, and wonderfully icy treat. Make it. Love it. Watermelon Mint Sorbet (Note: This recipe is based off of Paula Dean's recipe for Raspberry Sorbet .) Ingredients 1 seedless watermelon, cut into chunks, without rind 2 Cups sugar (note: I actually halved the sugar and water in this recipe and made only 1 Cup of simple syrup, adding a about 1/2 cup of Splenda to the sorbet while it mixed in the ice-cream maker. You can try the original 2 cups, but remember that it was for raspberr...

I've gotten so many requests for this recipe, and I realized it never got posted to my blog. I have no picture for it, but here's the recipe. Note: I NEVER measure anything for this recipe. The measurements I give are approximations. I recommend tasting as you go and adjusting accordingly. Chummus 1 can Garbanzo beans 1 tsp-1 Tbsp olive oil (more olive oil will result in a thinner chummus) 2-3 cloves of garlic 1-2 Tbsp Tahini 1 tsp lemon juice OR the juice of 1 lemon 1-2 tsp Cumin powder 1 tsp Parsley (either chopped fresh, or dried) The following seasonings are just to taste: Paprika, Ground red pepper, onion powder, salt, pepper Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree to desired texture. Taste, and adjust seasoning. You can also add other flavorings such as: Pesto, roasted peppers, spinach. If you can dream it, you can make it. :) Enjoy!

This is a quicky post. Just wanted to share my lunch. Romaine lettuce, strawberries, cherries, green apple, and Ken's Raspberry Walnut Dressing. Yum!

It's strawberry season, ladies and gents! Of course, it's almost over. And of course, while strawberry season comes to a close, I'm only just getting around to it. But yesterday I headed out to Baugher's Farm to pick them for myself.  I brought along my mom and my daughter, both of them first timers!  They basically just sat on the bench while I did all the labor, but they enjoyed the beautiful weather and the sprawling green landscape. As you can see, I got a decent amount.  Still, the pickin's were slimmer than I'd hoped. Since I don't cook or bake as much as I used to, what with this small, precious, demanding person who's entered my life, I figured I'd better freeze these babies for future use. I washed them, cut off the tops, dried them with paper towels, spread them out on a baking sheet, and stuck them in the freezer. In a little while, I'll take them out and seal them in a freezer bag. Supposedly, they...

Before I became a mom, I though baby drool, spit-up, and other bodily fluids were...pretty darn gross.  I knew I would become a mom one day, but I couldn't really imagine actually DEALING with all of those things. Yet here I am.  Wearing my daughter's lunch like a badge of honor. I always knew I wanted to be a mother one day, but I never really knew why.  Maybe it was societal pressures, maybe it was biology.  Whatever it was, it was there, even before I ever developed an interest in children. And now I've made it. And I finally know why. I won't bother enumerating the wonderful things about having a baby of my own.  You can't quantify love.  I just wanted to share this feeling with you all. My daughter's bodily fluids are actually still pretty gross. And smelly. And sometimes don't wash out. But I wear them with pride. I am a mother. And that makes me mother enough. :)

Today hasn't been a "healthy" day for me. I mean, I went running this morning, but...food-wise... Well, I rounded it out with a really good dinner. Not incredibly healthy. Not incredibly unhealthy either. But definitely delicious. Scallion Pancakes   (I lost the website where I got this recipe! :[ ) Ingredients: 2 Cups flour 3/4 Cups boiling water 2 Cups scallions, green part only, thinly sliced (I had one cup.  It worked out.) 1/8 sesame oil (I didn't have this, so I just used conola oil :-\) 1/4 Cup vegetable oil Instructions: Place the flour in a food processor and using the opening, slowly poor the water in with the processor on until a sticky dough comes together. Place the dough on a clean work surface and form into a ball. Cover the dough with a damp kitchen towel (not a fluffy towel, no need for fuzz in the dough), let rest for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, divide the dough into 4 equal portions and roll out, one at a time, into an 8 inc...