making butter

put whipping cream in a container and shake...

then shake some more...

and even more until... the sound changes.  yeah!

creamy, butter ready.  i wish i had the foresight to prepare some home-made bread alongside but store bought was just fine. 

and i think the boys agree.  so yummy and a perfect activity for little hands with lots of energy.

celebrating

Today we celebrated my sister's birthday.  We haven't lived in the same state for seven years now, so I count it a privilege to have had her living with us since baby Ezra's birth. 

The boys were so excited last night planning what they would do.  Nathaniel is hugely into surprises, so he just wanted to hide somewhere and then come out and say happy birthday.  They also decided to have a dance party for Giftychechi because she likes to dance.  And they put their daddy in charge of the "games."  

So far birthdays have been simple in our home.   It's a day that we usually spend together enjoying each other's company and a special meal taking time to celebrate the special birthday person.  Today was just that way.

N woke up earliest and had my parents on the phone so that when G woke up we could all say happy birthday to her together.  We had a special breakfast ready and much to the boys' delight there was more for them too.  Breakfast was light with lots of fruit, yogurt, granola, fresh juice, and cranberry-orange scones (one of my all time favorites).

And we ended the day with dinner and a quasi-dance performance by the boys.  G likes hors d'oeuvres, so I decided to do an around the world tapas style dinner.  So, we had smoked salmon on herb toast, shrimp spring rolls, chicken saltimbocca, uzhunnu vada, and steak ssam.

Our favorite was the smoked salmon followed closely by the spring rolls and hoisin-peanut sauce. 

Instead of making a cake, I ordered a variety of mini-cakes from the local bakery that the mister picked up on his way home.  As for favorites, G and I debated between the dark chocolate cake of the ice cream sundae vs the cherry center of the torte.  The mister was a fan of the red velvet as was N.  E liked the orange chocolate and J couldn't get enough frosting. 

**edited** The boys helped me create cards on the computer and then they colored them in.  The twins always seem to be in character so E signed off as Giftychechi's baby spinch (don't ask) and J signed off as Rufus the dog (I heard him wrong and typed Ruford).  N was sticking with the dancing theme and thought the dancing skeleton was hilarious.  They were quite proud of their contribution.  As E said, "I did a great job coloring"  At least we're building confidence, right?

All in all, I hope G had a good day.  I know I'm blessed to have her as a sister and I'm thankful for all God has done for her and for every promise and blessing that awaits her in Him.

in the kitchen

Since tomorrow brings another farmer's market with more vegetables, I thought I would recap what's been made this past week.  Does anyone else struggle with making sure nothing spoils in the back of the fridge or the bottom of a drawer?  I know it's happened to me more often than I would like to admit... so here's last week's recap:

Tossed Salad  (lots of it)

Steamed Bok Choy with Ginger

Asian-style Lettuce Wraps

Dhal with Methi (fenugreek leaves)

Guacamole and Chicken Roast used up the cilantro

Russian Kale Thoran (Malayalee sauteed vegetable)

A little bit about Thoran.  This is a common way to prepare vegetables in Kerala cooking - it's simple, healthy, and tasty.  To prepare, you first fry mustard seed, then add in onions, grated coconut, green chilis, curry leaves, and turmeric.  In the case of dark green vegetables, I like to add in some cooked masoor dhal, a couple cloves of garlic, a little bit of cumin and chili powder.   I mash all these ingredients into a coarse paste and add it to the mustard seed.  Once your onions are cooked through and the coconut is toasted, you add in your chopped vegetables.  Season with salt.  Cover the mixture and let it cook through.

 While making the thoran, I just had to take some pictures of my little assistant. He really likes to be in the middle of all the action which in this case means he's on the kitchen floor playing on his activity mat with his little birdie. 

Asparagus Lasagna

You must try this simple and delish recipe especially now that asparagus is in season.  Speaking of, have you ever seen an asparagus plant -- different than what I expected.  Anyways, I digress...

This lasagna comes out of the oven bubbly and crispy and unlike the typical lasagna has a very light feel.  I first had this when a friend of mine made it for a bookclub meeting.  I must say that I don't remember the book we discussed that night but I do remember this lasagna and a completely decadent chocolate cake.  The recipe originates from Sara Moulton (Executive Chef at the sadly no longer existent Gourmet magazine) and can be found here.

I will also say that my boys (5 y/o & twin 3 y/os) like this and eat all the asparagus. 

Here's the recipe with my modifications

1 pound asparagus (trimmed)
2 t. extra virgin olive oil
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
1 onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 scallions, sliced
1 15-oz container ricotta cheese
3 Tbsp milk
27 -30 refrigerated wonton wrappers
8 oz. mozzarella cheese
4 oz. parmesan cheese

Toss asparagus with olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.  Place asparagus on baking sheet and toss onions, garlic, and scallions in any remaining oil.  Broil on high heat for 5 minutes.  Asparagus should be bright green and slightly tender. 

Chop asparagus into quarters.

Blend ricotta cheese, milk, and broiled onions, garlic, and scallions.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Lightly oil a 9 x 13 baking sheet and then arrange 1/3 of wonton wrappers.  Layer with asparagus, cheese mixture, and then mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese.  Repeat.  Top with remaining third of wonton wrappers, ricotta cheese mixture, mozzarella, and parmesan.

If desired, drizzle the edges with a wee bit of olive oil.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes until bubbly and brown.  The edges should be crispy.