CityMama™

Hot Links for 5/29/09

I keep forgetting to mention that I'm featured in a national ad campaign for Turning Leaf wines. (I blogged about the trip here, here, and here.) If you picked up the May 25 issue of US Weekly you may have seen me.  I'm also appearing in Women's Day on June 2 and 16, and on August 4.  Also appearing in the ad campaign: this beautiful and talented lady.

I need to say a few words about this because, as a plus-size woman, this whole experience was a combination or angst, fear, humor, and joy (mainly because Bad Kitty came with). It was, in the end, really an honor and pleasure for me to be a part of this campaign. Turning Leaf hired about 20 women writers/bloggers to blog for their new site (launching soon) and then chose 4 of us to feature in the ads. I must have told their agency (BBDO) a hundred times that I am not model/photo shoot-material. And girls, nothing was more embarrassing than having to submit my non-size 0 clothing sizes to their L.A. wardrobe person.

But that didn't matter. They weren't having it. The written words—my words— were what was important, not the size or shape or age of the woman. When you see the ad, those are all of my words next to my photo. I wrote my own ad copy. We all did.

I think it is important to acknowledge companies and agencies who value women for their creative talent. They exist!  So love your curves and keep on writing,  my plus-sized sisters! Love your belly and your boot-ay and your boobs! Cuz you and me? We're in a magazine! (And they listened when I said, "Chest up only, please!")

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In keeping with my quest for a 70's-modern, Woody Allen/Diane Keaton-movie-inspired home, I received a gorgeous lamp from Dana Gibson.  Check out my indepth review on CityMama's Stuff.

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Those new, frozen Chiquita Smoothies = yum.  Huge hit with the kidlets. Chiquita sent samples to try and we polite about my asking all kinds of questions about what's in it [basically it's fruit, fruit purees, water, vitamin C. No HFCS, no wheat or dairy].

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Have a great weekend!

Potato-Mac Salad [or an ode to my love of Best Foods mayo]

photo: ohioandoakley.com

Hawaii is equally famous for it's macaroni and potato salads (okay, maybe just "island famous") so it only makes sense that two great tastes would taste great together, right?  For those that are skeptical (and I know you are reading), I say, you just have to try it once and you will be a believer. 

By now you probably already know that Hawaii consumes more Spam per capita than any of the other 49 United States, but I would venture to say that Hawaiians also consume more Best Foods mayonnaise.  When making mac or potato salads, there is just no substitute. There just isn't so don't try to argue with any islander. You won't convince her otherwise. Best Foods FTMFW!

This salad was a huge hit at our Memorial Day barbecue where it was made by my sister.  I love tuna in my macaroni potato salad so I include it here (in a recipe adapted from the excellent cookbook, The Island Plate), but you can omit it if you are a purist. Don't balk at the amount of mayo used. You want the salad to be very white and creamy.

POTATO-MAC SALAD

If you don't want to make chili pepper water, you can subsitute Tabasco sauce.  Potato-Mac salad is a plate lunch staple in Hawaii where it is usually served alongside--you guessed it, MORE STARCH--two scoops of rice.

• 1/2 lb macaroni
• 2 white (waxy) potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1.5 cups Best Foods mayo
• Chili pepper water* (recipe follows)
• 1 6-ounce can of tuna, drained and flaked
• 3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• 1/2 carrot, peeled and grated
• 1/2 cup minced celery
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• chopped black or green olives (optional)
• chopped parsley or paprika for garnish (optional)

Cook macaroni in salted water according to package directions. Drain, but do not rinse. Set aside.

Cook potatoes in gently boiling, salted water until just tender, about 7 minutes.  Check at the 5 minute mark to make sure they aren't too soft. Drain.

Place macaroni and potatoes in a large bowl. Sprinkle with chili pepper water, salt, and pepper to taste, and let sit for 10 minutes, then toss with 1 cup of mayonnaise and refrigerate until very cold, at least 1 hour. Add remaining ingredients and refrigerate. Just before serving taste for salt and pepper and toss with remaining half cup of mayonnaise so salad looks creamy and fresh. Garnish as you wish.

Chili Pepper Water

Recipe adapted from The Island Plate.

• Water (or some use gin or vodka or a combination of gin or vodka and water)
• generous pinch of coarse sea salt, Hawaiian preferred
• 2-3 small, hot, red chili peppers, stemmed and sliced in half. Since Hawaiian (nioi) peppers are virtually impossible to find outside of Hawaii use small Thai chilis instead.(Available at any Thai or Vietnamese grocer.)
• 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic, peeled and smashed

Fill an old, cleaned glass 8 oz. bottle (i.e. ketchup bottle) 3/4 full of water then pour water into a pot along with Hawaiian salt. Heat water until just boiling; turn off heat and throw in chilis and garlic. Allow to cool and pour into ketchup bottle. Keeps for 3 months in the fridge and gets hotter as it ages.

California, you disappoint me today. [Prop 8 upheld]

Please watch this video and donate.  Time to begin working on a repeal. And to be fearless.

Meal Planning... er, Tuesday for 3/25/09

I was looking at the CNN daily quiz about Memorial Day weekend travel and a surprising (or maybe not so surprising) number of the respondents (86%) responded that they weren't traveling this weekend. If hearing my neighbors on all three sides out and about in their backyards this weekend was any indication, it seems like a lot of us were enjoying the long weekend at home.  Did you travel?  Did you barbecue, if so, where'd you go and what did you eat?

We kept it mellow.  We had a sort of "last hurrah before we move" party at our house on Sunday and we grilled oysters and an insane amount of NY strip steaks that my brother cut from a hunk of meat so big it looked like there was a dead body in the fridge. 

Oysters with garlic-parsley-butter gettin happy on the grill.

Tonight we had burgers and an amazing 7-layer salad (remember those?) made by my sis. I probably haven't had this salad for 10 or 15 years, but wow, did it ever hit the spot.

There are lots of recipes out there, but consensus seems to be that it's topped with a dressing made of mayo and sugar. (I know!)

Coming off of a weekend of good eating, I want to keep it simple this week.  I picked up some veggies at the farmer's market and they are going to complement this week's meals.

• Tuesday—Bunny's favorite cream of cauliflower soup, salad, garlic bread
• Wednesday—Chili, again (because this is our busy afterschool activity day) and chicken hot dogs to make chili dogs.
• Thursday—Steaks (leftover from the weekend), potatoes and green beans, salad
• Friday Family Movie Night—take out
• Saturday—not sure yet
• Sunday—Chilean Sea Bass on the grill and farmer's market veggies to go with

What do you have on deck this week?

Steps to five

Lately, Wallie, my shy little bug of a girl, has been venturing out of her shell to explore the world on her own. The girl that buries herself in my pants whenever a stranger says "hi" (or appears to want to say "hi") to her or who won't play with newish friends, is taking giant leaps towards independence.

Last week, I was in the carpool line waiting to pick Bunny up from school when Wallie declared that she had to go to the bathroom.  Really badly. The school bathroom was about 50 feet away from where I was parked, but around a slight corner so I couldn't see it. We're not supposed to leave our cars once in the carpool line so I couldn't take her. I explained that we'd be home soon, but she quickly tired of my explanations and cut me off. "I can go myself!" she squeaked.

Off she trotted to the girls' bathroom.  Two, three, four minutes ticked by.  "How long does it take to pee, flush, and wash hands," I asked myself. At the five minute mark, just as panic was starting to set in, Wallie's bright face came skipping around the corner.  As she scrambled into the car she told me all about how she flushed the toilet without covering her ears and that her hands were clean. "Smell them!"

A month ago, she'd never have done that.  I wouldn't have let her and I have to say, I don't think I will let her do it again, but still. I couldn't help but marvel at her new-found confidence.

Yesterday we were at the cafe where we like to have tea and sit outside. She accidentally knocked the table and some tea spilled.  "I'll get some napkins," Wallie volunteered.  I watched as she ducked into the busy cafe and this time ticked off the seconds until she returned.  After about 30 seconds she still hadn't returned so I walked in to see where she was. I saw a line of about 7 people waiting to order their coffees and right smack in the middle of all the adults, patiently waiting for her turn at the counter, was Wallie. She turned and saw me and waved me over to her and that gesture seemed so...adult, that my heart leaped and shattered at the same time. My four-year-old isn't a baby anymore.

Wallie goes to kindergarten next year and I have to admit that I have been a little worried about how she'd handle the new situation. She is very attached to her preschool and her friends there and doesn't do well with the "newness" of anything.  She will likely have Bunny's teacher and she is very familiar with the classroom so we have that in our favor, but still.  Wallie has always been a particular kid, a mixture of extreme shyness and attachment and pointed assertiveness when things don't go her way.

We've been trying to expose her to new adventures and new friends. For example, one of the things she loves to do lately is go to the bathroom in a restaurant with Bunny, just the two of them. (Or at least they think it's just the two of them as I usually check the bathroom before they go in and watch the door until they are done.) This kind of experience is just the thing she needs to give her a little more independence and bring her out of her comfort zone.

So we continue on this path of independence with Wallie.  We can now add "goes to the bathroom by herself" and "fetches napkins" to the short list of things she can do without an adult standing right there.

And so, they grow.

Guess who's turning 40 today...

Go on, guess!

Chili OMGsofrickingood

I made the best damn chili tonight and I think it was partly due to a secret and unexpected ingredient.  I happened to have a can of Campbell's Tomato soup lying around so I dumped that into the pot because we're FINALLY moving soon and I am trying to purge the pantry items.  The soup adds a pleasing hint of sweetness that isn't at all overpowering or cloying. Surprise, surprise!  Who knew one strange ingredient could make chili so good?

CHILI OMGsofrickingood

This is my usual chili recipe. I normally make it without the soup, but I might not from now on!

• 1 lb of organic ground beef
• one large sweet onion (Maui, Texas Sweet or Vidalia), chopped
• 2-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 3-4 dried chilies (optional if you or your loved ones can't handle the heat)
• 4 tbsps chili powder
• 2 tbsps ground cumin
• 2 tbsps chipotle powder
• 1 large (28 oz.) can of whole tomatoes and their juice
• 1 can of tomato soup (optional)
• 1 large 28 oz. can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed (I like Sun Vista brand pinto beans)
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

In a oven-proof Dutch oven or heavy pot, saute the ground beef, onions, garlic, and chilis over medium heat until the meat is browned and onions are translucent.  Add in chili powder, cumin, and chipotle powder and cook for 3-4 minutes then add in tomatoes, tomato soup and bring to a simmer. Dump the beans into the pot, put the lid on the pot and stick the entire thing in the oven for 2 hours or if you are me, however long it takes to sit through 2 gym classes. Remove from oven and chili will be ready to eat.

Serve the chili topped with chopped sweet onions, chopped fresh tomatoes, and grated jalapeño jack cheese. And if you are from Hawaii, with hot cooked rice and chili pepper water on the side.

photo: What's Cooking America

Weekend in Southern Oregon: Antiques and Wineries

I went up to Southern Oregon with a couple of girlfriends—and no kids, woohoo!—this weekend.  Our goal was to check out the annual antiques fair in the hopes of scoring some excellent, tax-free finds.  My personal goal was to have a tamale at the Southern Oregon Grower's Market (mission deliciously accomplished), to relax after a couple of very busy weeks, and to spend time with my brother and his kids which is always a pleasure.

The antiques fair was well-worth it despite the searing heat.  We all found lots of treasures for not too much money.  My favorite find was a copy of Conran's The House Book published in 1974.  I was eyeing my parents' worn copy at my brother's house and even asked him if I could borrow it. Not necessary!  The next day, Alisyn found a copy (with cover!) on an antique store book shelf and after negotiating a 10% discount, it came home with me. 

My brother gifted us moms with belated Mother's Day gifts-- tickets to the Applegate Valley wineries' barrel tasting event so we spent Sunday afternoon at Wooldridge Creek, Troon, and Schmidt wineries tasting their selections.

On Monday we were back on the road heading down I-5 hoping to make it home before school got out, which we did. I came home to a nice, clean house (thanks, J!) and a two hour power nap. It was a great time.

Here are some of my favorite pics from the weekend:

Saturday night dinner: grilled veggies and grass-fed tri-tip from the farmer's market and wild, local salmon caught in the Rogue River by my sister. The yellow bowl holds grilled spring onions, garlic, and jalapeños.

At the Antiques Fair.

20% off Bauer bowls in my favorite colors...

Flowers and owls and apples [more 70's modern]

Continuing on my quest for a cheery, 70's modern-inspired home, I give you three very fun Etsy resources.

Sunny floral cups from The Dao Humanus. I love her taste.

Sweet owl vase from We Think We Can! She has a great eye. (May not be 70's but it fits the theme.)

Green apple oil cloth from RR Mexico Supply. Hello, summer!

I'm not buying, just coveting. Okay, I did buy the oil cloth because it was cheap! I'm headed out of town on an girls'-only antiquing (and wine drinking) trip this weekend so I am resisting the Etsy siren song.  I'll be sure to share if I see anything good.

Mother's Day [in photos]

Look at this krajee girl. Even though I said "no gifts" (and say it every year), I was surprised with hot tea in bed and these beautiful, wooden salad bowls. The fourth wouldn't stay on her nose.

Bunny made this poster to go with her gift of a ceramic spoon rest shaped like her hand. (I will treasure it always.)  Apparently, despite my benign neglect, I am really good at taking care of her.

Speaking of Mother's Day surprises, I was told I was named one of Forbes' Ten Mommy 'hood Gurus along with some of my favorite people like her and her, so I had to go look. That was truly an unexpected treat.

I managed to convince J. to come to hippie church with me (no small feat) for the flower communion where we learned about a true hero.

Then we lunched here, where J. and I had one of our very first dates...

...on this. And we wept tears of joy because the crispy, parsley-laden falafels were so delicious.

We went home and relaxed a bit, then I treated my family to haircuts and we spent the afternoon walking around the mall.  We like to do that on the weekends, it's kind of our "thing." Wallie will tell you we go there to "look at stores" and "get dried mango."

And we had a crazy shellfish feast for dinner because all I really wanted to do on Mother's Day was continue the party with my family.

It was a beautiful day. Hope yours was, too.