Blackmail Material

This video is too good not to post. It's the kind of footage that will make Nico cringe when he's older, I love it! It starts out with him talking about grande versus chiquito ( big v. small) and leads into a ridiculous dance to his favorite Black Eyed Peas song. Oh, and he's naked and picking his nose too! If you listen carefully you can hear him trying hard to sing along with the lyrics. Thank god for the digital age.

School Daze & French Toast

This post is dedicated to the incredible children of Mrs. Richardson's Monday Morning class at Olive Rec. Today was our last day in school, and we had our farewell Holiday party. Even though we only saw each other once a week, we grew very fond of everyone there.
Nico really came to love the rituals of the class: the craft, the playtime, the clean up, the songs, the lap time and the parachute. I remember in the beginning that Nico wanted nothing to do with the parachute, but the last 3 sessions he has been on it, under it and all about it. Now that's what I call growth!

We had such a great group of kids and parents: diverse, intresting and really nice. If anything I think we parents learned more from the class then the kids did. I especially took away a large dose of patience and understaning, many times just from watching my fellow parents and the interaction with their kids.

The program at Olive Rec makes me so happy to have moved to Burbank. It is a testament to what a great Park & Rec program can be and to how vital they are for a good healthy community.

We had a delicous potluck today. I was so flattered that so many moms wanted my creme brulee french toast recipe. I am posting it here for them to try. This is an easy and delicious breakfast, and tastes even better if prepped the night before.

See you guys next year! Feel free to email us for a playdate at mgrafica@sbcglobal.net

CREME BRULEE FRENCH TOAST

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  
• 1 loaf of Challah bread
  
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• cinnamon to taste
  
• 1 teaspoon Grand Marnier optional OR 1/4 cup of orange juice
• zest of the orange (optional)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

In a small saucepan melt butter with brown sugar and maple syrup over moderate heat, stirring, until smooth (not boiling or hardening) and pour into a 13x 9 baking dish. Cut 1-inch thick slices from center portion of bread. Arrange bread slices in one layer in baking dish on top of your caramel sauce, squeezing the bread slices slightly to fit into pan. You can cut smaller peices of the bread to fill in empty spots on the pan.

In a bowl whisk together eggs, half-and-half, vanilla, Grand Marnier or orange juice, cinnamon, a pinch of zest and salt until combined well and pour evenly over bread. Chill bread mixture, covered, at least 8 hours for best results.

Preheat oven to 350° F. and bring bread to room temperature.

Bake bread mixture, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed and edges are pale golden, 35 to 45 minutes. I like to let it sit under broiler for a tiny bit to get it nice and golden. The puffing will go down once its cooled a bit.

Serve with powdered sugar or fresh fruit. Enjoy!

The Crew

Here's some of the crew watching Nemo at Tim's house. We recently gathered there to celebrate Sienna's first birthday. I feel so lucky that we are surrounded by so many friends who are also on a new parenting journey. It's like having a built in support group. Not to mention the hand me down perks. Even though our families are not here in LA with us, we are never alone. It's nice to know all of our kids have known each other since birth and the group of babies keeps growing. Who will we meet this year?


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Oh Mickey your so fine

Leave it to a toddler to knock down all your elitist sentiments about a certain mouse. No longer is Mickey the imperialist leader, gone are the Disney conspiracies, and I can't roll my eyes or snicker sarcastically when reffering to "the happiest place on Earth." When Nico says "Minty Mouse" it literally makes my eyes water. We spent Thanksgiving there this year. Nico had such a good time that he brought home a Mickey doll and has barely let go of it. These day's Mickey's gloves are a warm shade of grey. It coincidentally was the last day I nursed him, so perhaps his new found discovery of a " lovey" feels even more profound.
Since our Disney trip I have bought a SoCal pass. A perk of living near Anaheim is that for 6 bucks a month I can go to Disney on almost any weekday. We have been back twice! The trick is to bring your own food. (you didn't think I'd abandon all of my subversive ways did you? ) We eat our lunch, go on a few rides and then hit the road in time for nap. There's no pressure to stay late and go on every ride. Nico is not three yet so he is free. I also figure once he starts school we won't be able to go on weekdays, so this final year leading up to preschool is that sweet spot. These are the final months of mommy and me activites. It's bittersweet, and I want to make this memorable and fun for both of us. Our good friend and Hal's mom, Rebekah, recently joked that we're becoming the very thing we made fun of. She said that soon," we'll be wearing Mickey jewelry and celebrating our anniversaries at the Blue Bayou." Darn you Walt, darn you.


Nico let Poet take the lead at Disney last week.


Sitting together on it's a small world, looking pretty small.



Nico put his arm around his little lady on the ride.

Granola Chick

While not completely positive, I'm pretty sure that the legacy of the Beastie Boys will eventually reveal itself to be somewhat meaningful in the history of music. Even more relevant to me and moms like me everywhere (although I did buy the Paul's Boutique cassette in grade school) is one said Beastie's wife, the other half of Mike D., Tamra Davis.

Tamra is quite artistically accomplished in her own right, but forget all that... the lady can cook. My friend Beth turned me onto Tamradaviscookingshow.com and I have been pretty glued lately, rummaging through her archives for easy and healthy recipes. Her shows are compelling to watch, and super easy to execute. She has a great philosophy on healthy eating, a good reminder of the responsibility I have to my child to feed him healthy food. The idea of "some junk food here and there won't hurt him" is starting to get really old. Especially here in the USA where obesity and diabetes in children is an epidemic. When we are out and about I sometimes feel like it's me against the world, trying to shield Nico from really s%$tty food. Fried chicken fingers and sliders on kids menus? Come on! I hope I never give up in making sure he continues to love healthy food, because it would be just that, Giving Up.

But I digress! Back to the food at hand, Granola. Here is a sweet treat that anyone can enjoy, packed with energy for the day ahead. Or perhaps as a dessert over plain frozen yogurt. It was great having Nico help me measure out all the ingredients and it was so fast to make. I will never buy granola again! Bonus: My house smelled divine and my niño snacked in good health.

Messy Minute Dinner: fake sopes and mint rice

Last week we had a meal created totally out of necessity. I had fallen behind on my grocery shopping and suddenly the clock struck five. It was do or die. Start cooking or surely perish under the regime of a tantruming toddler. I found some ready made Polenta in my fridge. I buy this as Trader Joe's. I normally cook it with Marinera Sauce. But as luck would have it, I was out of the red stuff ( I have been sticking to not buying tomato sauce when a healthier more economical, and better tasting version can be made at home) Instead, I came to see the Polenta for what it really was, CORN! I lightly coated the medallions with olive oil and threw them on the grill outside. Meanwhile I steamed some brown rice and cooked up a can of black beans. I mashed the beans in the pan. I put all the mint I had in the blender with a splash of water. My friend Jason suggested the blender was better then the knife and he was right, the mint stays greener longer! I mixed the mint sauce into my rice. I diced a tiny bit of garlic into it and cooked it together for a short while. Just until I felt the mint had stuck to the rice. Once the polenta cakes were done I treated them like sopes. I topped them with beans and some grape tomato salsa I conjured up with onion, lemon (I was out of limes!), cilantro and sea salt. I sliced a some avocado onto them and served the rice on the side. It was such a good dinner. I can't wait to make it again with more time and a better selection of ingredients. They were beyond messy to eat, and I think that's why Nico loved them all the more.