On the Table: Plenty

Feeding a toddler is…difficult. This little boy used to eat just about anything, his taste buds were new and he was happy to have anything flavorful hand scooped into his mouth. These days things are a little more peanut butter and jelly shaped but we do have our moments. 

My brother and sister-in-law gave me the most beautiful cookbook for my birthday when they were in town called Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi. It written by a London based chef and is compiled completely of unique vegetarian dishes that focuses on freshness and variety. I spent the afternoon just looking through it. I found so many things that I would like to try but I started with something I was pretty sure this kiddo would eat. Mee Goreng is a stir fry noodle dish made with bok choy, green beans, and tofu. It was quick and most importantly the kid gobbled it up! Well, the noodles and the tofu but I'll count this as a win. 

Check it out if you are looking for something new.  Happy Friday and enjoy your weekend! There's lots to do in Cleveland so get on out there!

Rainy Day and Allergic Reactions.

Wednesday was rainy and I wasn't feeling too hot when we first got up so I was concerned about the days activities. Luckily we had a morning play date so that took care of a good chunk of time. Lately O has been pretty obsessed with Playdoh. He needs to make cookies, carrots, and people like everyday. We have a fun set of cookie cutters that make the play time even more fun for him plus the bright colors cheered up the dreary day.

He was pretty proud of his creations and helped take some pictures to document the fun. He's my son alright. The funny thing about the cookie cutters is that he can't quite recognize all of the shapes until he uses them. He was pretty serious about the above animal being a kangaroo, he had it hopping all over the room until suddenly he realized it was a dolphin. Suddenly meaning I had told him that initially but I guess he thought I was wrong.

We hit up the grocery later and picked out a pineapple to have with lunch. He diligently cut it up with me with his little spreading knife and like any good chef was sampling along the way. I had no cause for concern since we've had pineapple before. But suddenly after having a healthy serving he started to yell that his tongue was hurting and kind of freaking out. I looked in his mouth to see some large bumps forming on the back of his tongue. No tongue swelling but he was clearly uncomfortable. So naturally I called my mom, then the advice nurse. I have enough sense to know it wasn't life threatening at that point but it was kind of scary anyway. We calmed down, cooled his tongue with a combo of things and safely ended the mild reaction. I wasn't expecting it so it seemed scary and I was nervous about his nap, but he was fine and was able to eat comfortably by dinner. Yikes! I've heard awful food allergy stories and I know this one was pretty tame but I wanted to share it anyway.

We've got another fun weekend coming up...this mama is turning 35 on Sunday. Have a great weekend and steer clear of really acidic pineapple!

Donut Day!

There are fantastic things that happen in neighborhoods everywhere I'm sure. But there's no way you have this magical day that we do. It's Donut Day and it happens one fine day every fall. It's hosted by a family that actually owns this awesome donut making machine. 

You have to keep your eyes peeled for this sign that gets hung the week before letting you know that Donut Day is coming!

The story that I've heard, and it's not quite complete, is that this man used to read a book to his children about a donut machine that got out of control. They loved it and eventually one day bought this for their dad, Tim and Donut Day was born.  This kind family hosts fresh donuts and toppings for all their neighbors and serves coffee and cider too! And by neighbors I mean anyone that stops by. It's so kind and generous and they are delicious! 

We walked down with our buddies that actually live on that street now. They were good to the last drop of cinnamon sugar! Thanks neighbors, you've created memories for a lot of people.

Three Things. In Red.

I think that September is my favorite month. The weather here is almost always so lovely, it's one of those times that Cleveland has bright blue skies and the overcast grey takes a much needed break. We have been out soaking up the end of summer with friends at BBQs, picnics, and now watching football. When I finally connected my phone to dump some photos today I noticed the vibrant colors that I've been capturing and wanted to share. This dahlia farmer at the market has the most beautiful bouquets that I admire weekly. I was standing and talking to a friend about how I should just buy some since they clearly make me happy. But then I didn't...and I've been thinking about them ever since. Why do I feel like flowers are such a splurge? They bring a little beauty indoors but I always hesitate and think, next time. 

Beet juice does not in fact make me happy. It's so red and pretty and misleading. I've tried it twice, gotten some advice about how to make it better. But I don't know if I can subject myself to this flavor again. But isn't it so cheery?

I woke up one morning thinking about the end of summer and decided that I needed to get as many tomatoes as possible before they are gone. I love them when they are in season. They taste like summer and are tangy. I hope you have a happy Monday!

Sunday Brunch.

Nothing completes a weekend of fun quite like a Sunday morning brunch. We were up bright and early as usual watching cartoons and relaxing when I decided that Mr. Bedhead needed a haircut. I chopped off lots of fuzzy curls that had gotten way out of control and now he's looking quite spiffy. And his reward was pancakes.

Katz Club Diner is new around here so we decided to check it out. The shiny diner cars have gone through several transformations over the years but this bright morning breakfast was really a treat. The coffee counter was filled with delicious looking pastries and they serve Rising Star Coffee that is locally roasted and delicious. O went with ice and cherry compote as an appetizer.

Initially we were a bit disappointed that they don't have a children's menu but apparently O was quite hungry and ate almost the entire serving of these delicious pancakes. I had the mushroom hash and JJ had the corned beef hash. Both were really good and more than we could finish. The staff was nice too so that always makes for a good experience. The rest of the sunny day was filled with playing and errands. Hope you had a nice weekend too. Happy Monday!

Made in the 216.

Hey friends! I'm excited to announce the return of Made in the 216 to Ohio City this weekend! I will be participating in this fun event again hosted by Room Service at a pop up location, 1810 W. 25th St from Friday-Sunday! There will be a whole lot of awesome local artists, bands, and food so please come and check it out! The bow ties are looking pretty fly in my humble opinion. See you there!

Derby Day.

How was your weekend? Ours was filled with fun and sun! And a little bit of Derby, and not to brag but my horse won!! My guys donned two of my favorite new bow ties for spring! O is wearing the seersucker, JJ is wearing the chambray and they both looked oh so handsome! We decided last minute to have a few folks over to enjoy the new house and to watch the race. 

These days it seems that the children outnumber the adults and they do their best to rule the roost. The fun part of having kids with your best friends is that even if you aren't in the room you know they are being looked after. They will get that extra serving of food if you didn't hear the request, and they will be told no when it's appropriate. I have no concerns that my friends will pick the correct option. They lighten the mood when things get tense and share silly stories about the hilarious life of a toddler. There is nothing more affirming than hearing that someone else's child did the same (totally frustrating) thing just the other day. But when you look at these ice cream covered youngsters there is nothing but joy to share. Have a good Tuesday!

Mean & Green

Here's how my life goes. I do my very best to eat responsible, leafy green meals multiple times a day so I can then go for short walks with the family for cookies. Luna Bakery, you call my name but I counter it with tasty green smoothies and stir fry kale. French fries on the weekend, I see you too...we're all good.

Tuesday Tropical Smoothie
Large handful of spinach
1 banana
1/3 cup frozen mango
1 diced frozen kiwi
1 Tbsp ground flax seed
1/4 avocado
Water

Put it all in the blender and blend until smooth. Share it with the little one and start the day!

A Friendly Feast

When you have a zucchini that weighs as much as your child, you need some help eating it. On Sunday we planned to cook up our beast and then realized that we might need some help. So we had an impromptu fritter feast and Oliver's BFF came over to help. This photo above is not at all representative of the number of fritters that were made. We were eating them as they were done and I think I made 30 or so. I didn't really follow a recipe but I'll tell you what you'll need!

Ingredients

1 mammoth zucchini, or just a few regular sized ones, shredded

3 ears of corn, kernels cut off

1/2 cup chopped red onion

2 cloves chopped garlic

2 eggs

Flour & corn meal for thickening

1/4 shredded parmesan cheese

4 sprigs chopped fresh rosemary

S&P

Oil for frying

Combine all ingredients (except oil) in a large bowl and mix well. You want the batter to be on the thicker side of things to add flour and cornmeal as needed. Heat oil to 350. I used an ice cream scoop to portion out the fritters. Carefully drop the batter into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, turning as needed. Once done, scoop them out onto a paper bag to drain and lightly season with salt. Repeat until done. We served them with a side of Greek yogurt for dipping, strawberries, and a chick pea and tomato salad. They were really delicious! No, it's certainly not the healthiest meal, but as a friend said, sometimes it's just liberating to deep fry something. It was a well worth the effort and the boys loved them too! 

Here they are sharing a love headbutt and not fighting over toys, they are getting so big! Happy Tuesday friends!

A Texas BBQ

It was my dear friend's birthday last week so we decided to throw her a bash! A Texas, style bash  at that! Well only sort of, but the point was made with hats, boots, and ribs. Let me share the fun with you!

I personally love a birthday party. I love birthdays in general, it's just a happy day to celebrate and eat cake. So when the opportunity arose I couldn't pass it up. I was excited to bake some cupcakes and I of course had to make a topper, so stars seemed like an obvious choice. I somehow missed taking a photo of the Texas flag placemat that I made for her.

I used what I had growing the yard for a simple centerpiece on the outside table. Coneflowers and blossoms from our outrageous mint plants. And then I added the sweet little succulents from the wedding.

She loves pennants, and so do I, so I made a giant one to hang across the garage to welcome our guests!

Oliver got pretty bold and decided to eat ribs that Grandpa made. He loved them so I tried my best as the open-minded but vegetarian mother to let it happen. How can I deny him his Grandfather's famous BBQ?!

The kids ran wild in the yard riding push toys, collecting rocks, and digging up moss (of course). They were in and out of the pool and playing all sorts of imaginative games. I even think the teenage girls had fun too, although that's just hard to tell sometimes.

It was a great evening with great friends. We really do love to entertain and the fun of setting up, decorating, and cooking is really just our way of showing love for our friends and family. We try to keep it simple, creative, and ultimately fun! After all, we know that if things don't go quite as planned, our people would never care. Luckily things went off without a hitch and with lots of help from all that came.

The Bluest of Blue

My understanding of blueberries was that all little kids love them. I've seen all of my friend's children gobble them up out of those little cartons many times. They are a perfect, healthy snack and super easy too! So when summer rolled around again, I figured that my little man would be pleased to have some fresh local blueberries from our farmer's market. But no, he's not into them. Ever. Unless of course another friend offers them to him on the 4th of July in a very cool way. They were on a wooden skewer with a red strawberry on top! But that's the only time. So fine, more for me then. Let me share with you the best breakfast parfait!

Ingredients
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4 cup of your favorite granola
1/2 cup of Greek yogurt
A dash of roasted almonds

Put all ingredients together in a bowl and enjoy a healthy, filling breakfast. This antioxidant filled meal will keep you going all morning. It's hardly a recipe, but it's delicious! We've been enjoying a new item in our house lately, Seven Stars Farm organic yogurt. It's not thick like Greek yogurt but it's pretty tasty. If you see it in the market, we highly recommend it! Otherwise my go-to is Fage. Me and my little one really enjoy them both.

Pickled Red Onions, Please

Whenever I go to one of my favorite restaurants in Cleveland, Momocho, I always order myself a side of pickled red onions. They are a brightly colored and flavorful addition to any Mexican inspired dish. They are tangy and delicious so I decided that I must try to make them at home. The recipe is pretty simple and really made our homemade tacos taste magnificent!

Ingredients

1-2 sliced red onions

1 cup cider vinegar

1 tsp salt

A few juniper berries and/or a sprig of thyme

Thinly slice the onions. Blanch the onions in boiling water for about 1 minute. Drain into a colander and return to the pan. Add vinegar and salt, add enough cold water to just cover the onions. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 minute. Transfer onions and brine into glass jars. Let them cool then refrigerate for 24 hrs. They should keep in the fridge for about a week. I found another tasty looking recipe here! We had ours with pinto bean and veggie tacos topped with queso blanco. Yum!

Over the Weekend

This weekend felt like summer indeed. The sun was shining brightly and there were popsicles, pool parties, BBQs, and fun. Ours started out with the arrival of these incredibly cute toddler suspenders and some backyard fun.

On Saturday we attended the 23rd Annual Parade the Circle. This was unfortunately the best photo that I got because there was just too much going on to get pictures this year. Chasing a babe really changes things.

We headed to a baby pool party where the kids had the run of the backyard. Little Man fell in love with this motorcycle and discovered how awesome a Big Wheel can really be. Please note the blackberry war paint that he's wearing. Unbeknownst to me, he and his buddy entered into a blackberry eating contest and he wore the evidence all night.

We had a Sunday lunch date and Oliver enjoyed sitting near the open kitchen at Melt. On our walk home we discovered a lemonade stand! We got two cups of juice and bubbles for a steal. I loved their sign.

Then we had another pool party at a family friend's house. She built this amazing working stream filled with trucks and pebbles for the kiddos to play in. This was serious business for O. He conked out on the drive home and ended up sleeping for 12 hours! He missed dinner and everything. So needless to say last weekend was a blast and we look forward to many more!