Dessert – Page 2 – Growing Up Savvy

Published April 18, 2016 by Nadya

Three is Best

When it comes to celebrations anyway. This Saturday marked my third and final birthday celebration. Fitting it was, too, since this year I turned the double three or 33. Evan, the girls, and I hosted my parents, my in-laws and my sister and her family for brunch. We didn’t try to do anything fancy. Just bagels and lox, a vanilla-bean & rum bread pudding, my mom’s zucchini babka, and assemble-your-own granola parfaits. We presented everything on the island and decorated the spread with some very open tulips.

You could say the whole thing was casual and effortless which is exactly how we prefer it. There wasn’t, however, anything effortless about the three birthday cakes everyone enjoyed afterwards. My mother-in-law brought her famous chocolate cake and my sister brought two home-made cakes. The first one was a farmer’s cheesecake laced with apples and topped with just barely toasted meringue and the second one was a multi-layered chocolate cake with mousseline topped with handmade truffles.

So good were these that there are no leftovers anymore. It was the best, low-key celebration and I enjoyed seeing everyone catch up and spend time together. The weather outside had also turned glorious after weeks of cold and rainy days.

The only thing that topped the celebration was an invitation from Baba and Deda to have Eliza and Sophia help plant their vegetable and flower gardens. The girls spent their Sunday in Wilmington, most of it outdoors, picnic-style. The weekend was perfect, and for once, we are all ready and excited for the work/school week.

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brunch

Published April 11, 2016 by Nadya

Dinner à la Russe

Too pretty to eat? Almost. Evan and I went out on a dinner date to celebrate my birthday this Saturday. I didn’t want anything for my birthday except for a leisurely dinner and maybe drinks. We went to a restaurant that is a BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle) and Evan surprised me by bringing wines from our travels past. He brought a white from the Landmark Vineyards which we visited when we took a not-even-two-year-old Sophia to Napa and Sonoma. Evan also brought a wine we bought in Alentejo in 2003 when we drove all across Portugal and visited Evora. Spectacular as those wines were, my dinner companion, and reminiscing about our travels made this birthday celebration very special.

The girls, meanwhile, did not sulk at home—they had Grammie and Pop to entertain them. There is something unbelievably charming about grandfathers and granddaughters and especially this lovely pair right here. Beautiful as his artwork was, I found the fact that my father-in-law embraced face painting with Sophia so very endearing. I love seeing how much he loves and dotes on his granddaughters.

To round out the weekend, Evan, the girls, and I entertained at home for the first time in this house. These friends are very special for us and we were looking forward to showcasing some Azerbaijani and Russian dishes. Putting on a dinner party isn’t always easy, and even more difficult when you’ve got a clingy, hip-hugging, almost-two year old companion toddling around. We made stuffed cabbage, an Azerbaijani eggplant chicken stew, a fish baked in an agrodolce sauce, and chermoula eggplant with bulgur and yogurt. There were also homemade blintzes with a fresh fruit compote.

The kids played so beautifully together, the adults were able to socialize, and enjoy wine (from proper wine glasses). I suppose committing to unpack a box or two a week really does have its benefits. It felt great to host, to entertain, and to share food with friends. Happy Monday!

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blintzes Chicken stew Eggplant Russian dinner parties

Published February 29, 2016 by Nadya

A Home

A house is just a structure. A home is that structure filled with people, with aromas of home-cooked food, and for me, with flowers.

This move hasn’t been easy but we’re finally done. Not unpacked, but moved out and surrounded by endless boxes. Unpacking can, for me, be daunting and thankless especially when spring is on our doorstep and there is so much else one could do with their weekend. And so in an effort to make our house a home and cheer up a dreary task, I picked out a fresh arrangement at a local florist. The beautiful blooms instantly made the day so much brighter.

I had every intention of baking these cookies but ran out of cocoa powder. I didn’t miss a beat and instead made a beautiful sockerkaka med applen (Swedish apple cake). There are few things that are so aromatic as apples baking and vanilla-laced cake.

Last, but not least, the girls enjoyed the day with their Baba and Deda as we worked to pack, unpack, and generally finish our move. On the occasion of their births, they each got little personalized backpacks and I can’t believe they are both finally big enough to use them.

I am ready for a weekend, the relaxing kind.

Dessert Life

apple cake cake life Moments

Published February 16, 2016 by Nadya

President’s Day Weekend

What long weekend? We spent ours cooking, cleaning, packing, packing, unpacking, packing, unpacking, and … packing. We saw family and stayed mostly indoors trying to cope with the frigid temperatures.

This picture reinforces that there is no need for cupboards full of toys to keep children entertained. All or most of what they require is in their heads and their curiosity provides the best entertainment of all. We have downsized our toys by 75% and couldn’t be happier.

It snowed again on President’s Day and we decided to turn a dreary, snowy afternoon into an impromptu science lesson. While no longer frigid, it was still cold and so we brought the snow inside and observed its properties under a variety of conditions. We touched it, scrunched it, melted it, and even licked it.

The girls spent Saturday at my parents’ house. Sophia also spent time crafting with my sister and Eliza got a special visit from Alex that afternoon. I truly believe that just like a PhD or Esquire, aunt, uncle, are titles and must similarly be earned and maintained to be relevant and applicable.

Lastly, but most deliciously, I am trying out weekend meal-prep for the workweek. We made raisin and turkish apricot kugel, cauliflower and walnut salad with a lemon and parsley dressing, seared lime shrimp tacos, pico de gallo, guacamole, shrimp cocktail, beef stew, and chocolate brownie cookies. It was quite a lot of work to accomplish but we’re reaping the rewards of that labor all week long.

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crafts creativity kids and science weekend food prep

Published December 21, 2015 by Nadya

Brrr, its cold outside

Not really cold, no, but colder than it was a week ago when we were all courted by mother nature and her 69+* temperatures. In any event, we here were not impressed by the sudden drop in temperatures and decided to stay in for the weekend. One of the girls was under the weather, too.

Preceding the rest of the weekend, we had a busy enough Friday where my in-laws babysat for us so that we could go to a holiday party. In addition to letting us have a few hours to interact with other adults, they brought over delicious cookies and bars (homemade, of course). I’ll have to try and get my mother in-law’s recipe for the date-nut bars. They were unbelievably good… I’ve been like a bee to honey near them.

Occupying two kids under 5 in a 1200 sq. ft. space can get a little overwhelming but desperation served well to inspire us; Sophia is a fan of arts and crafts and Eliza loves to construct things. We paired the two together and asked Sophia to arrange flowers using this set and draw the results. Wanting to keep up with her sister, Eliza jumped in and drew as best she could as well. So proud of their artwork they were that we affixed their prized possessions to our fridge for Baba and Deda to admire when they stopped in to visit with us and stayed for Sunday dinner.

Evan cooked beef meatballs and mashed potatoes using half the butter called for in this recipe and the results were stupendous. Thinking we ought to up the green quotient, we paired everything with trees or steamed broccoli. Saving the best for last, we shared the chocolate brownie cookies Sophia and Evan made together earlier today. It was that sort of a weekend where we stayed in, spent time as a family, and enjoyed good food and time with grandparents.

By-the-bye, that is the mantra for the next few weeks for us—family time. And as for the inspiration for the old expression? Charlotte Bronte whose works I have been consumed by while cheating on my other love, Outlander. So much to read, so little time.

Cookery Crafts Delicious Dessert Flavors Hubby Cooks Life Sophia Cooks

Published December 7, 2015 by Nadya

The First Night

… of Hanukkah is very important in our household: we make sure to break out the menorahs, latkes, sufganiyot, and ring in the holiday’s start in true Jewish style. This holiday is perhaps my most favorite and the one that I can remember celebrating when I was little even when religious observation was strictly forbidden in the USSR.

This year’s celebration didn’t disappoint when we opened our doors to my sister and parents-in-law. Evan made a beef stew carbonnade, I made latkes, my sister made sufganiyot, and ponchiki.

My in-laws brought their famous chicken fingers, the wine and most importantly, chocolate chip and gingerbread cookies. The cookies were home-made, of course. Sophia had such a blast decorating the gingerbread men and Alex enjoyed eating the decorated creations.

I can always count on my mother-in-law to pull off an amazing child activity that keeps the kids occupied and happy.

Before the cookies were decorated or perhaps shortly after, there was the lighting of the menorah. Although we have some beautiful, old menorahs, we chose to ring in this holiday with two that were made by the children in our family. The first one (shown here) is one that Sophia made with some adult supervision. The other is a menorah that Alex made for us and Sophia a few years ago. That menorah is very special to us, more valuable than any cast in silver or bronze and sculpted by an artist.

Although she is only four, Sophia will tell you that the most important part of Hanukkah is the presents. The girls weren’t disappointed with the sheer volume of presents that came from my cousins, the girls’ grand and great-grand parents, and my sister (and co.).

We don’t open all the presents at once—there are, after all, eight days of Hanukkah. Of the ones we have opened, every single one will be used, enjoyed, and played with by Sophia and Eliza. There are two, however, that will be cherished. They are the ones that Anna made for them. Eliza got a busy purse complete with a zipper, velcro, and a few other clasps. Not only is it great because she can practice all those clasps but because it is a purse, too. Every fine lady can always use another purse. Sophia received a color traveling pack with slots for markers and a note-pad. Both items were hand-made with bright fabrics and lots of love. This isn’t the first time our kids have received something handmade from their Aunt Anna. A few years ago, Sophia received the book of colors. We flipped through it the other day with Eliza who is learning about colors.

Happy Hanukkah!

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hanukkah sufganiyot

Published November 23, 2015 by Nadya

Twinkle, Twinkle Lights

Full disclosure—we are actually homebodies. You may not think so once you hear about our weekend, but we can always rest and lounge later when the winter finally arrives and the snow starts.

Starting our Saturday in the most perfect way, we hosted friends of ours for a breakfast/brunch/lunch. I made sticky buns with a honey caramel and toasted pecans which were quite good and Evan whipped up an onion and red-pepper omelette. Freshly-made buttermilk pancakes and a butternut squash soup rounded out the menu. I can’t say this was entirely effortless, despite seeming like an easy menu but something about Eliza deciding that she needed to be cooking with me slowed me down. On the upside, I had the sweetest little helper.

Sophia and Eliza loved playing with our friends’ little girls who are three and 6 months. Eliza especially couldn’t get enough of the baby. She talked about the baby for the rest of the day. There was, despite the small quarters, plenty of hide and seek, puzzles, crafts and books. We rounded out Saturday with an evening walk to Franklin Square to see their holiday music and light show. Sunday brought Sophia’s dance class and a dinner out with some friends. Sophia and our friends’ son colored and practiced their spelling while we caught up over Mexican fare. It was a lovely night.

Between time spent with friends, we cooked, relaxed, lounged, knitted, hosted pretend tea-parties and practiced “reading”. See for yourselves!

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friends

Published November 2, 2015 by Nadya

All Hallows Eve

Halloween has never been a huge part of our lives but this holiday is becoming much more fun now that we have little ones running around. Sophia requested to be a bee this year and we dutifully obliged. Old City and Society Hill were teaming with kids in costumes heading toward their schools at the end of last week. The kids, the costumes, the brightly colored trees all made for quite the magical atmosphere.

The weekend, despite the kids both getting head-colds, was spectacular. My parents took the girls on Saturday. Chicken noodle soup (homemade) and plenty of tea and other amazing eats helped Eliza and Sophia get better in no time. Meanwhile, Evan and I balanced chores, cooking, and even some quality time together. Too lazy and impatient to order take-in, I took matters into my own hands and made Singapore noodles from scratch in 15 minutes. Truly, it was done faster than I imagined, tasted super delicious despite not having made the whole thing in a wok, and I made it with a new curry blend I recently picked up. Evan made sous and we watched Star Wars with the volume set to normal not fearing that it will wake the kids up. The latter… with the volume on, for the first time in four years. Heaven. And if I must admit to other things that I have been able to return to, I’ll mention that I can now blow dry my hair in the morning. Also for the first time in four years. #parenthood

Having gotten a bit of a break on Saturday, we embraced quality time with the kids on Sunday spending the better part of the morning in pajamas. The girls received calls from Baba and Deda checking on how they were feeling and even managed to entice my parents for a short visit that evening. Sometimes, when you’re not feeling well, a call—just a call, can lift your spirits. It shows that you’re thought of, cared for, and loved. Life lessons my kids are learning firsthand.

Sophia and I also baked an upside down cranberry cake. She was fascinated about me calling it upside down and couldn’t wait to help and turn it over onto a platter after it baked. Cranberries are rich in Vitamin C, so it was obviously a decision with healthfulness in mind.

And just like that, the weekend is over, the week begins and I can once again enjoy the city’s beauty during the peak of fall foliage. Whoever said that Philadelphia is a concrete jungle, clearly doesn’t know the city well. Can you guess where this was taken?

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cranberry fall foliage upside down cranberry cake

Published October 26, 2015 by Nadya

Falling into a Parenting Philosophy

Parenting Philosophy. What’s yours? Ours is… well, until now, ours has been elusive. Or perhaps our philosophy hasn’t been, but we’ve lacked the ability to describe it. In going through the process of placing Sophia into a pre-school, we’ve had to [fairly recently] develop a cogent description of how we approach parenting.
There are many, many parenting philosophies out there and you can read all about them before you become a parent thinking that you will be this type of a parent or that type of a parent. The truth of the matter is that you will not know what kind of a parent you will be until you have your child(ren) and they shape you as a parent much like you shape them as people. And so, after several lengthy conversations we have identified that our style is best described as a modified version of Slow Parenting. And while we do not adhere to the lack of television access, we do let our kids play with simple toys like blocks and craft because while the materials are elemental, the possibilities are limitless. We are focused on teaching the girls commitment and expect them to follow through if they’ve promised or agreed to something. “I can’t” is not an expression that is acceptable at our house because it is so final and instead, the girls can ask for help or say that this is something they “don’t know” how to do “just yet“. To some, this may be just a matter of words, but if you really think about it, these words imply very different things. “I can’t” implies finality that the fate of this task is sealed and it is beyond one’s reach while not knowing how to do something implies an opportunity to learn. Learning, extending, trying something new, and even failing, no, especially failing are critical. This outlook stems from the fact that we treat the girls as adults. Everything, and I do mean, e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g is explained at all ages. When Eliza refuses to put on a jacket, we patiently explain that it is cold outside and a jacket will make her warm. When Sophia gets upset that Eliza has once again destroyed a castle she diligently built with her blocks, we explain that Eliza is little and she is discovering the world. We also say that part of discovery is the process of taking something apart to learn what it is really made of and that she (Sophia) used to smash castles we built for her, too.

Lastly, Evan and I make a concerted effort to engender empathy in the girls both toward each other, toward us, our family, and others in general. Empathy goes hand in hand with love and there is no stronger bond than that between siblings and families. So here it is, our brief, and still very incomplete parenting philosophy. The beignets? These are homemade zeppole with apples because it is fall and because fried dough is the perfect place to sneak a bit more fruit.

The weekend was eventful—a trip to the zoo, a technical conference, a date-night, a dance class, and …. the zeppole. There was also 40 garlic clove chicken, homemade chicken soup, baked Japanese yam fries, and quality time with grandparents.

Cookery Dessert Flavors Food For Thought Life

apple fritters apple zeppole food for thought parenting philosophy zeppole

Published October 12, 2015 by Nadya

The Makings of the Party

Sophia turned four. Four is a big deal! Almost like a recipe — a party, a good party requires a few key ingredients. Good food. Check. It also requires good cakes, several cakes. Check. Some drinks — juices for the kids and beer/wine for the adults. Check, check. Last, but absolutely critical, a good party requires friends and family.

We started planning Sophia’s party a few months ago because we like to take our time working out the menu, guests, and the theme. She was set on a Lego theme and no amount of persuasion helped convince her to change her theme. Evan and I had our hearts on a Totoro theme. We’re hopeful she’ll want to have that as her theme next year and if not, there’ll always be one of Eliza’s parties. We invited our close family and a select few friends. We would have invited more but space was limited and we wanted to leave plenty of room for the kids to enjoy catching up. As it was, there were over thirty people and lots of cousins and friends.

We made all of the food ourselves, save for a salad, a side and a kugel. There was the sausage and peppers, chicken baked in an asian broth dressed with scallions and sesame seeds, rice, a corn and edamame succotash, grilled cheese two ways, an apricot kugel, a fiesta and a quinoa salads, and stewed eggplant. I baked two cakes–a lemon layer cake and a chocolate cake. The lemon cake was a rich pound cake base with a home-made lemon curd and iced with a lemon-cream cheese frosting. The chocolate cake was ~~death by chocolate~~ a triple layer chocolate cake filled and iced with chocolate ganache. Lastly, and because we enjoy cooking together, Sophia and I made chocolate balls which were a rich chocolate cake mixed with ethereally light vanilla buttercream frosting and dipped in bittersweet chocolate. They were such fun to make and a huge hit at the party.

The adults socialized, the kids played, we sang happy birthday, blew out candles, ate cake, and opened presents. Sophia was thrilled that her friends and family made the time to join us in celebrating her birthday. She loved her presents. This birthday was for Sophia but it was a family party where we came together with people we love and spent time catching up.

The picture is a bit fuzzy… it is the best one I have until my sister and brother-in-law look through their pictures. They hosted the party opening their house to our guests and helped enormously. Their selfless generosity is the very definition of family. This is what families, real, close-knit families do–make time, open their home, their hearts, and enjoy the pitter patter and laughter of tiny guests. I couldn’t be happier that Sophia and Eliza are learning by example. And thank you Anna, David and Alex for your open home and open hearts. Truly.

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birthdays cake fourth birthday lego party

Category: <span>Dessert</span>

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