Summer Spread

4 Ripe Tomatoes, chopped

1 Avocado, chopped

4 T Olive Oil

2 T Balsamic Vinegar

8 oz Fresh Mozzarella, chopped

Basil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Garlic Bread Chips

Best if Refrigerated 1 Hour Prior to Serving.  Measurements are approximate.

(Inspired by my Sister-in-Law, Cheryl)

My Mother, Custom Clothier

Does your mother have an amazing talent?  One that you took for granted as a child?  One that you cherish as an adult?  My mother’s talent is sewing.  The term “seamstress” did not seem to do justice to her talent.  When I looked for something more suitable, I settled on the term Custom Clothier.

One of my mother’s less creative endeavors involved sewing about a hundred ballet shoes during the 19 years I studied ballet.  Last fall, I started teaching ballet and needed a new pair of ballet shoes.  I’m sure my mom would have been happy to sew the elastic, but it seemed somewhat pathetic for a 36-year-old woman to ask her mother to sew her ballet shoes.  Luckily, the shoes came with one side of the elastic already sewn.  All I had to do was sew the other side.  I thought to myself, “I can tie a knot, and I can thread a needle, how hard can it be?”  Every Monday night after I finish teaching my ballet class, I look at the red marks on my feet where the elastic has been digging into my skin.  I take a moment to appreciate the hundred ballet shoes that did not leave red marks on my feet.  

My latest reminder of how much I appreciate my mother’s talent happened last weekend when I was getting ready to have my picture taken for an upcoming performance.  I needed to cut a slit on each side of my costume so that the skirt would turn better.  There were two separate layers to the skirt; a flowered pattern on top and a solid blue lining underneath.  My son was over at my mom’s house, and I had about 15 minutes to cut the slits.  The first mistake happened when I attempted to make small cuts where the top of the slits should be.  I accidentally made a 2 inch cut on the right side of the dress.   I successfully cut the lining on the left side.  The second mistake happened when I accidentally cut a front seam rather than a side seam (of course, this was the TOP layer of the skirt).  I put the dress on to evaluate the damage.  Yep, gaping hole on the right side and a misplaced slit on the left side.  I took the dress off.  In my desperation, I decided that the hole on the right would be less noticeable if it gradually got bigger.  I picked up the scissors and angled the cut.  A rational person would have realized that more cutting = a bigger hole.   After cutting the correct seam on the left side, I put the dress back on.  Now the hole looked like a wild animal had attacked my right thigh.  And, the accidental slit in the front was going to be impossible to hide.  My mom showed up right then with my son, and I went downstairs to show her the damage I had done.  She assured me that she could fix it, but she was leaving town and wouldn’t be able to fix it for several days.  I had to have my picture taken in this shredded dress in 2 hours.  After I got my son down for his nap, I attempted to use a needle and thread to cover up the damage as much as possible.  I turned the gaping hole on the right into a little lump that could easily be covered by my hand.  Then, I put a few stitches in the front slit so it wouldn’t fly open.  When I got to the dance studio, my instructor informed me that I wasn’t supposed to cut the outside skirt at all.  As I processed the fact that I now had 3 major gashes in the outside skirt that I needed to fix, I started madly texting my mom.   My plea, “PLEASE HELP ME PUT IT BACK TOGETHER.”  Her response, “I’m sure I can fix it.”  

Mom,  
Thank you for saying you could fix it without judging me. 
Thank you for sharing your talent with me for the last 37 years. 
Thank you for making my childhood easy and carefree. 
Thank you for being my mom. 

My mother made my wedding dress.  It was beautiful.

My mother made the tutus in the pictures below.  These pictures were taken before digital cameras, so it is difficult to see all of the detail.  They are the two most beautiful tutus I have ever seen!  

Calendar

My son is three years old.  I bought this calendar a couple weeks ago, and I wish I had bought it months ago.  It is a great learning tool, and it helps prepare him for the day.  I used the cards that came with the calendar and personalized them with pictures.  Before he goes to bed each night, we take a look at the "Tomorrow will be" section.  I printed pictures of his preschool teachers to let him know when he will be attending preschool.  I also have pictures for "family day" and "grandma and grandpa" day.  We bought some birthday cake cards for the "Happy Birthday" card.  This calendar is also very helpful when our schedule changes drastically.  For example, if one of us is going to be away on business, we use this calendar to help manage expectations.

I wanted the calendar to hang low enough for him to reach easily, and I wasn't thrilled about permanently attaching it to the wall.  Hence, the decision to hang it from the door of our coat closet.

Complete Calendar and Weather Pocket Chart
www.amazon.com/Complete-Calendar-Weather-Pocket-Chart

My Favorite Sloppy Joes

Serving Size = 2

Ingredients 
1/2 lb ground beef
1/3 onion
fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup ketchup
1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tbsp mustard
buns

Brown the beef and cook the onions over medium heat.  Add remaining ingredients.  Warm for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Angry Birds Party!

My son wanted to have an Angry Birds birthday party to celebrate his third birthday.  We bought 2 Angry Birds plush dolls from the local party store and used his building blocks to make a tower.  We also bought a couple of Angry Birds balloons and tied them to the blocks.  We placed the pig in the tower.  We used the Red Bird to knock down the blocks.  The game was a big hit!

Breakfast Dessert

I have a "No Chocolate Before Noon" rule.  It is a very difficult rule to follow. This morning, a giant bag of chocolate covered pretzels was staring at me, so I baked some breakfast muffins using the recipe below.  They are healthy and very sweet; a perfect breakfast dessert.  Just one was enough to distract me until noon.

2 large, very ripe, mashed bananas
1/4 cup yogurt
1 egg
2 tablespoons oil
3/4 cup pecans
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
dash of salt
1/3 cup blueberries

Mix and bake at 350 degrees for 23 to 25 minutes.  Makes 12 muffins. 

I used coconut yogurt and sunflower oil because they were in my house.  I'm sure other types of yogurt and oil would work just as well.  You could also use 1/2 cup yogurt and skip the oil all together if you want to lower the calories.  I have done that before, and the muffins were still very good.

Another Blogger with a Blender

I have been making smoothies for over 2 years.  My goal has been to painlessly add more fruits and veggies to my son’s diet (and sometimes my own).  When I started my blog, the first thing I wanted to write about was my fantastic smoothie-making ability.  After a little research, I realized that I am just another blogger with a blender.  I found two of my most exotic recipes in the first smoothie article I pulled up.

I learned to make smoothies by trial and error.  On more than one occasion, I presented one of my favorite smoothies to my son only to see him pulling what looked like hair out of his mouth.  I’m not sure which ingredient was responsible for the hair-like bits, so I am unable to provide you with instructions to make your own “Hairy Smoothie.”

I have learned that a smoothie cannot work miracles.  Broccoli has a strong taste and a unique texture when eaten alone; that isn’t going to change when you add it to a smoothie.  I don’t think peas or avocados have a very strong flavor, but they don’t make particularly good smoothies.  I also think spinach has a bland flavor, but if you go overboard, it can add a gritty taste.  Somewhere in my experiments with these four vegetables, I came up with my worst smoothie ever.  My son started refusing all green smoothies.  I had to stop making them for a couple of months in order to clear his memory.

When my son was a baby, we fed him smoothies with a spoon.   Now that he is learning to use a spoon himself, most of my smoothie ends up on his bib.   He is slightly better at drinking out of a cup, but there is still a lot of spilling.  A few weeks ago, I bought some ice pop molds.  My son loves them, and there is no spilling.  I wish I had thought to make ice pops earlier when he was teething.

Below are two of my son’s favorite smoothie recipes.  I don’t actually measure anything, so portions are approximate.

Juice from 2 large oranges

2 chopped mangos

About ¾ cup cooked and chopped carrots

½ medium cooked sweet potato

Stonyfield Farm 6 oz. Peach Low Fat Yogurt, Fruit on Bottom (Optional)

Yes, that photo was taken on my floor because it was the only relatively clean surface.  Don't judge!

Freshly squeezed lemonade (I add a little to get the blender going, then I add more at the end if I overdo the veggies.)

Up to 2 cups chopped fresh pineapple

Up to 1 cup raw spinach (add slowly and taste!)

Up to ½ medium avocado (add slowly and taste!)

Check out the rocket ship ice pop molds!