Category: <span>Flavors</span>
Not particularly different from any other days other than the fact that Evan and I actually captured our culinary output on camera while running after the kids, enjoying Philadelphia, and much-deserved time with my parents. Cookbooks, blogs, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter are full of single shots of delicious eats but they don’t often give us a glimpse into a full day in the kitchen. I am going further and sharing a weekend. The farmer’s markets brimming with strawberries and vegetables have inspired me in the kitchen. Our local HeadHouse Square farmer’s market looked like an explosion of bright red and green. Had we not been limited by the one tote we brought with us, I would have bought every radish and green in sight.
So here goes… two days in our culinary life:
Tomatoes aren’t really in season yet but parsley, young red onions, and garlic are bountiful. I roasted the tomatoes in the oven until they were bursting with sweet-sour flavor and dressed in an herbaceous vinaigrette. It was sunny bright.
Earthy and flavorful is this deep-roasted broccoli with oven-fried garlic. Some florets are verdant green while others are crispy-baked. A perfect side served room temperature and just as good cold in the evening. Healthy, too.
Speaking of healthy but more importantly, absolutely delicious. This is the one dish I did not cook. My mom made this gorgeous, chilled borscht topped with sour cream, grated egg, scallion, cucumber and dill. Mouthwateringly delicious and perfect on a hot summer’s day.
Some go goo-goo for pasta salads but I find them to be too rich, too heavy and laden with cheese and unbalanced vegetables. Instead, I opt for a quinoa salad. Same principle… herbs, veggies if you’d like, and a light olive oil vinaigrette. This one has lightly pickled onions, garlic, and some herbs.
These easy oven-baked chicken thighs have made regular appearances at our dinner table the last few weeks and for good reason, too. They are so very delicious, a synch to make, and fill the house with the most beautiful aroma.
Corn chowder, to me, is a summer affair. This one is a very light version of Corn Chowder sans bacon and with part-skim milk. Light and refreshing it pleased even the tiniest of taste buds.
Eggplant is such a favorite at our house. Baked, sautéed, stewed, stuffed and even steamed, we eat it year-round and I cook it in the Italian, Turkish, Japanese, Indian and Azeri styles. Every which way it is unforgettable. This is pan-fried eggplant topped with a dill and garlic crema. It is my most favorite preparation because that’s how I grew up eating it.
And since hot weather, margaritas, happy hours, and siestas are upon us, we make guacamole. Simple. Avocados, red onions, and limes. A favorite snack for everyone … even Eliza.
And if you know me, you know that I am someone who does not like to make dessert optional. The rhubarb season is brief and it is one of the earliest spring plants. Rhubarb is best friends with strawberries but I thought it is special enough to be the star of a sweet ending. Here’s a rhubarb snacking cake. Yum.
Maybe I shouldn’t tell you that completing this culinary line-up are homemade strawberry-creme-fresh and chocolate ice creams. Well, the least I could do is not taunt with pictures. They are mind-blowing.
Whew. That was quite a lineup, wasn’t it. Well, all that cooking didn’t preclude us from enjoying our weekend outside the kitchen. We visited a farmer’s market, the Three Bears Park, and partook in the happenings of Old City. We also went to Spruce Street Harbor Park which has been open for a week, and Sophia has her eyes set on the skating rink at Blue Cross Summerfest. Sophia may be eyeing skating, but I am eyeing those hammocks and beer at Spruce Street Park.
Quality time with Baba and Deda were huge hits for us and the girls. Played out and fed with all sorts of delicious, the girls played with Legos together. Future engineers? I can only hope.
Endlessly tired of heavy cookery where winey tomato sauces and long preparations abound, I suddenly remembered about pasta. Not the typical boxed stuff, but the handmade stuff. The kind your (grand)mother, Italian or otherwise, would make when you were little. Truth be told pasta, and the realization that I could sate hungry bellies of my cheery cohabitants with a few turns of my cherry-red pasta machine, was just the excuse I needed to continue procrastinating. Procrastinate against what? The much overdue cleaning out my closet. Despite procrastination, perfection is how I would describe its current state. I went in with surgical precision and nothing that doesn’t fit or I don’t quite love survived the cuts. An extremely satisfying process for someone who doesn’t like clutter and isn’t a hoarder.
This post, however is about pasta. I distinctly remember my mom making home-made egg noodle when I was little. Sometimes, the noodles graced a hearty bowl of chicken soup and other times, they were dressed with rich farmer’s cheese and sprinkled with sugar which is, to me, the ultimate comfort food. She rolled out and cut the dough by hand. It is then that I realized that homemade pasta is unlike anything you can buy at the store and many, many years had passed before I dared to make my own. My mom recalled her grandmother making homemade noodles, cutting, drying and storing them in a linen bag. Her story took me back to my grandparents home where my mom grew up. I could suddenly remember ever nook and cranny of the house and was determined to rekindle those memories for my mom.
In fact, my homemade pasta was so nice, I happened to make it twice in as many days. The first batch of pasta was destined to become delicate spaghetti for a carbonara sauce. The result was so successful that the kids fought for every last strand. I mean how can guanciale, eggs, cream, and parmesan laced across delicate handmade spaghetti be bad?
Feeling guilty about repeating the rich meal, I made linguini and Evan dressed it with a much lighter sautéed onion, mushrooms and spinach sauce. There may have been cream and parmesan, too. The mushrooms and parmesan provided such a meaty, umami flavor while the onions and spinach stand up quite well to the savoriness.
It would be very unfair to keep my full-proof pasta recipe to myself.
Serves 4:
Ingredients:
10 oz flour
3 large eggs (not jumbo, not extra large, just large)
2 tbs olive oil
Preparation:
Pulse the eggs and flour in the food processor until combined. Turn the food processor on and drizzle in olive oil. If you find the dough sticking to the walls of the bowl, add flour a teaspoon at a time until the dough looks like wet sand. Turn out onto the counter and knead lightly into a rectangle. Wrap in seran wrap and leave to rest at room temperature for an hour. Use your machine/attachment to roll/cut into spaghetti/linguini. Cook in boiling water until al-dente (2 minutes in our case) and dress in your favorite sauce. Enjoy!
It is difficult to attribute our newfound fully-booked social calendar to solely having moved back to Philadelphia where we can enjoy friends and family. Perhaps Sophia’s own social life in which we’re her dutiful chauffeur and chaperone is what keeps us busy. The real answer is that it must be a little bit of both and it is weekends like this that give me a clear picture of what my life will be like for the next few years.
Just like my parents, my in-laws offered to come into town and spend a Saturday evening with the girls so that we could go out. We’d be crazy to say no and even crazier to deny them the opportunity to spend time with their granddaughters. We’d NEVER say no. Especially on a Saturday night. We grabbed some pub fare just down the street from our place with some friends old and new and had the best time. Company was good, but strolling to dinner and back was spectacular; We missed that while living in Maryland.
Another first for us was taking both kids to a museum. We are members at the Please Touch Museum and Sophia adores going so we finally decided to take the both of them. I loved the museum just as much as I enjoyed it in its old location when we took my now 11 year old nephew.
Eliza was a very impatient shopper while Sophia was a thorough cashier. There was a bit of everything for everyone of every age including a pretty fantastic Alice in Wonderland exhibit.
Sophia loved being a doctor and practicing all sorts of medical procedures on anatomically correct babies. Maybe she will grow up and become a doctor. A mom can dream.
All the pretend play made everyone tired and hungry. I whipped up a batch of my sister’s fiesta salad while the kids decompressed at the crafts table. You needn’t be fooled, the kids don’t always (okay, almost never) craft this nicely. Eliza always wants whatever Sophia has and Sophia never wants to share anything even if she herself doesn’t need it this moment.
We topped our weekend off with a wee bit of kid bowling at a good friend’s son’s 3rd birthday. This was her first time bowling and Sophia had an absolute blast. She loved renting the shoes and pushing the ball down. There was more time outdoors and more delicious and homecooked eats but far too much to recap in one post. This is just a gist of our busy and fulfilling weekend.
I have to admit that the blogging has been a bit slow as of late because of, well, life, kids, Faberie. Busy, beautiful, bountiful life that has left not a lot of time for the documentation or retelling of all that living. Alas, having shed our winter coats we made space for our camera and endeavored to capture our everydayness.
Good weather brought us out for the majority of the weekend. First up, Sophia and I picked up on our tradition from last summer when Eliza was just a wee one and took a leisurely walk through the neighborhood to a coffee shop. Over her chocolate bar with a glass of water and my coffee we talked about everything and nothing in particular. We lounged, people watched, discussed the artwork on display, and planned the remainder of our time out. I cannot tell what it was exactly that relaxed and invigorated the both of us except that the fresh air, the quiet humdrum of our neighborhood and our conversation were just what we both needed. I am a firm believer in giving each child individual attention and uninterrupted time.
My parents, as has become the usual, offered to share their time this weekend with us. Giddy with excitement over the prospect of cleaning our entire house and cooking, we gladly accepted. Both Evan and I have grown accustomed to the fact that they offer to come and spend time with us and the kids and aren’t waiting to be invited.
Sunday was the first day since we’ve moved to Philadelphia that we had a chance to clean the entire house from top to bottom without interruptions. Those who know me, know that I like to have a clean home. I love the fresh scented and shiny floors, clean baseboards, polished appliances and sparking counters.
The warm weather helped usher in our spring culinary repertoire. We cooked light and delicious meals both new and old staples that pleased everyone’s tastes. First up were pan-fried eggplant topped with a garlic and dill dressing.
These evoke unbelievable memories. I remember the very smell of our kitchen in Baku, the sound they made as my mom fried them and the amazing garlic aroma that emanated as the cool garlicky dressing hit the hot eggplant slices. They’re so easy, so delicious and so … home for me.
I could have made an entire dinner from these but alas, our little diners weren’t as keen on a one-course meal so we added in a pasta course.
Simple and flavorful this dish took 15 minutes to make from start to finish and ten of those were inactive. Linguine, garlic zest, garlic juice, heavy cream, parmesan, olive oil and basil. Questo! The pasta wasn’t something that my mom cooked growing up, but maybe, one day my daughters will reminisce about playing by the kitchen and smelling the intoxicating lemon aroma while I finished the pasta in the sauce. Hopefully!
I am ready for the weekend and it is too bad that I have to wait five days. Time seems to fly by during the weekends and especially when we are having fun. The weekend sort of started earlier than Friday afternoon but went by at warp speed. Firstly, there was my birthday which fell on Tuesday this year. The day of, I took as, what my job refers to, a floating holiday which is also, what my friends affectionately call, National Sass Day ;-). Among other things, there was a visit to Milk Bar. It was, needless to say, a busy day capped off by some Indian fare together with those truly responsible for the day—my parents. All that activity and it was just Tuesday.
The weekend approached and after a thankfully uneventful Friday evening spent at home, Evan and I headed on a date. This would be our second or third date night since Sophia’s birth (3.5 years ago). Needless to say we were very excited to get to spend an evening together in such gorgeous weather. So excited that I may have put on mascara and even accessorized. A brief stop at a speakeasy and dinner were just what we needed to remind ourselves that after nearly seven years of marriage, we have not run out of things to talk about and, more importantly, still make each other laugh like we did when we first started dating in … 2002. This, of course, would not have been possible had my in-laws & sister not come into town to babysit. Truly grateful.
Speaking of marriage and because the wedding season is fast approaching, on Sunday, I joined Evan’s family in showering a special bride with attention and gifts. I admit that I like weddings but am not always a fan of bridal showers. Mediocre food, terrible yet mandatory games and endless hours of present opening can make for quite a long afternoon. I have been to great showers as well as quite poor ones and this one was one of the best.
Held at the Philmont Country Club, the shower was styled beautifully. Each table was accented with a gorgeous arrangement that would befit a wedding table scape in lovely greens and lavenders. The food and company were outstanding and even though I was joining Evan’s family for the event, I felt quite at home and part of the family. That got me thinking about families and marriage. I believe that you don’t just marry a person but that you also marry their family. In the case of Evan’s cousin who is marrying a beautiful girl (who also happens to be Russian), I can, with absolute certainty, say that she is marrying into a wonderful family.
Capping the weekend off was a beautiful Boston Cream Pie, Candy Land and various shenanigans from the tiniest of mischiefs that will melt your heart.
For the first time in what seems like forever, the weather forecast shows that we are not expected to freeze for the next few days and that alone gives me hope that spring may arrive yet. Another sure sign that winter has departed is the arrival (and departure) of the Philadelphia Flower Show. The show is a big event drawing crowds from near and far and reducing the convention center area to a standstill, especially on a weekend when the Reading Terminal Market is in full swing. Having been away for a few years, we decided to partake in what used to be our yearly tradition of visiting the flower show. Sophia went as well, though earlier in the day on Sunday and with my in-laws. This year’s theme was Disney and she was dressed in, according to my mother-in-law, a mandatory princess dress. She put the princess dress on later in the evening and now our entire house (including the toilet seat and now our bums) is covered in glitter. Needless to say, we will be retiring her royal wardrobe as a cost cutting measure since our “palace”, unlike Buckingham, does not employ an extensive cleaning staff. But I digress…
As per usual, there was quite a bit of cooking since we had on-hand help from both sets of grandparents. I made this vanilla-bean raspberry swirl cheesecake that is was divine and so very beautiful. Alas, Sophia has decided that she doesn’t like cheese and even adding cake to the name wouldn’t sway her. Except that she eats mozzarella and cheese ravioli (though we call that just ravioli). Oh well, more for the rest of us.
And when we weren’t visiting the flower show, baking a cheesecake and getting treats from our local ice cream and candy shops trying to soak up every warm ray of sunshine outdoors, we were … living and enjoying.
This move, our life is more than ever crazy, busy, and exhausting. Still, it is thrilling, wonderful and I wouldn’t trade it for all the sand in the Sahara.
I remember loving snow days. As a teenager, I would have the house to myself and all the time in the world to lounge, read and … and sleep. As an adult BS (before Sophia), I would spend the day working from home also in my pajamas and round out the evening with a super comforting dinner and drinks. As a mom, snow day means juggling two kids and work without our nanny. It means getting up super early to work, working through their nap and then, working some more when they go to bed. There were pajamas and TV but only for Sophia. We let ourselves go, and permitted Sophia to watch two cartoons. The first was My Neighbor Totoro and the second was Ratatouille.
We couldn’t just plop both kids in front of the TV all day and so there was plenty of other activities going on. We structured the day to include self-play, science, crafts and reading. Sophia played with Laser Pegs and learned the basics of circuits.
Eliza helped take the circuits apart :). We also learned about plants and how they come from seeds. Since I best learn through application, we planted an avocado seed in a container hoping it sprouts. Sophia checks our little seed every hour or so looking for the “leaves”.
The delicious avocado that housed the seed in our science lesson became a part of our mostly healthy and most definitely delicious lunch. This is broccoli, bean and avocado salad with miso-yogurt dressing and topped with pumpkin and sesame seeds. That was served with a french onion grilled cheese. Mmmmm…. so good.
And since it is likely that you’re already hungry after looking at the picture above, I may as well share a few more dishes from this week’s food roundup. Here we have Saba no misoni which is Mackarel stewed in miso served atop japanese sushi rice and topped with seaweed. This dish is a favorite at our house especially for Sophia. Salty and sweet and topped with crunchy seaweed makes every bite oh so very satisfying.
And lastly, you can never have enough roast chicken though the usual method of tossing a bird in the oven can get a bit boring. We tried Jamie Oliver’s roast chicken in milk and were very happy with the results. It was perhaps the most tender and moist roasted chicken I’ve had and as a bonus, our house was perfumed by garlic and cinnamon while it baked.
The weekend is upon us and with it the promise of warmer weather (seriously, though I also am a skeptic at this point), more delicious meals, more playing, more science learning and just … more.
I am a self-confessed sweet-tooth. No, my addiction goes beyond that. I don’t crave sugar. Instead, I N-E-E-D deep, intense, rich, and chocolatey treats. I have been known to over-indulge, too. The past sixteen months have enabled me to indulge without guilt first because I was pregnant, and then because I was a nursing mother. Nursing hunger is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. Somehow, nursing hunger could always be satisfied with a chocolate treat and almost never with anything savory or healthy. I’ve given in and enjoyed rich desserts and savories. But all good things must come to an end and as we transition Eliza to solid foods, I can no longer eat for the both of us. I also don’t [have time to] hit the gym though—my hats off to any parent of young children who has the energy to go. And with that, I’ve been relegated to find means to satisfy my chocolate needs without compromising my current wardrobe.
Alas, I’ve come across a cookie recipe that doesn’t contain flour or sugar and yet still contains peanut butter (mmm…), oatmeal, and chocolate chips. These went like hotcakes at my house and I’ll be making them again.
I gather you’ve seen that Growing Up Savvy has been a bit quiet as of late. It isn’t because I’ve tired of the blog or was out of thoughts to share, rather because we snuck away on a getaway to somewhere sunny and warm. I sound just like everyone when I say that we really needed to get away, but we really just needed to get away. We haven’t been on a proper vacation since December of 2013 and since then we had a baby, renovated a bathroom, moved, changed nannies and listed our house for sale. It has been a busy year and not just my body, but my soul needed a change of scenery to recharge to. And what a change of scenery it was! Azure and green waters, a light wind blowing the salty air onto the shore and sand between my feet. I have to say that packing and airline travel with two kids is nothing short of a military operation that we approached with the appropriate strategic plan. Alas, we’re back and recovering from the stunning scenery.
This recovery will take a while but I’ve decided to ease the process by whipping up a delicious milkshake that I had while on vacation. It sounds simple enough, just four ingredients that I always have in my pantry and fridge but just haven’t thought to use that way. And so I present to you a cinnamon-banana milk shake which is just a banana milkshake with a bit of island spice added to it. 
Light, foamy and refreshing, this shake takes mere minutes to whip up and satisfies everyone in the family. My shake in hand, I can now look through the rest of the pictures from our recent getaway just to ease the symptoms of vacation withdrawal.
