A Nod to Friends & Food
I really want to see Julie and Julia but can’t bear the thought of watching that movie with anyone but Angie, Mindy or Amy. These three Seattle women taught me different aspects of culinary joys, mostly through their generosity of providing exciting, delicious items at shared mealtimes. When I bake something, I often compare the treat to Mindy’s amazing desserts or follow one of her recipes. (And, happy birthday, Mindy! I hope you’re having something delicious!!!) When I think about pulling out a frozen pizza for our family dinner (which I did tonight…and Monday (yikes!) but at least I sacrificed one aspect of health for another…my walk was too long tonight to get my super healthy original dinner made!), I am inspired by Angie’s commitment to cook well for her family despite the challenges of doing so while three babies tear the house apart and tackle each other on cement floors. When I cook for guests, I draw on my huge bank of memories eating at Amy’s table to help me take it to the next level. Ladies, can we see this movie in a month?! :)
When I started to write this post I was actually going to share about Charlie’s dinnertime requests, but thinking of his love of food made me think of mine and the friends who fostered this in me, and yes, I’m pregnant. And I ate a half a pint of delicious Coconut Crunch ice cream just prior to writing this. Anyways, while the oven was taking it’s sweet time preheating to 400, Charlie was apparently super hungry because he couldn’t stop whining and asking to be held, so instead of putting a band-aid on the bleeding wound I sliced up some tomatoes (still from the garden, hooray!) and threw a few slices of bread on a plate for him. I made the adults some salad while Charlie ate. Spying our balsamic vinaigrette, Charlie requested balsamic vinegar (he always emphasis this because of his clear preference between the two). I asked if he wanted it for his tomatoes or something else and he requested tofu. Yup. My little boy eats uncooked tofu straight up, with balsamic vinegar on the side. Sometimes he dips them in sesame seeds with little bits of seaweed mixed into them, too. Then, when asking Harry whether he’d prefer Kashi’s mushroom & spinach or margherita pizza, Charlie said, “Spinach sounds good to me.” I LOVE my son’s eating habits. While he still has plenty of growing room (he wouldn’t touch the soup I made Tuesday telling me, “I don’t like soup”) and would eat mac & cheese every meal if we’d allow, he’s got an amazing palate for a toddler. I have a feeling that to keep me humble our next child will refuse all food except for some odd thing like pickles. More likely, salsa. I want it with almost every meal, but it has to be peach or mango.
While we try to eat reasonably healthy here, we also have a deep love for good baked goods. At coffee shops Charlie has grown so comfortable as to request his own treats directly from the employees. “Um, we’re going to get a treat. I’d like a blueberry scone.” The shocked cashier or barista usually looks at me to clarify whether this is alright and happily complies to what will certainly be the cutest request they get all day. Today at Spruce Confections, my favorite spot to sit in Boulder, Charlie also batted his blue eyes at the woman taking our order. She was smitten and told her coworkers to look at the cute boy. He works it sometimes. He also walked down half of the Pearl Street mall with his face covered by his knit hat. He could see alright, even managing to avoid the loose bricks that often make him trip, and all passing adults walked a little lighter in their step after seeing him.
Since I’m sharing about food, mostly, let me not pass up the opportunity to guide you to a great food blog. Angie’s friend Sarah writes at inpraiseofleftovers.com and her cookies (Mrs Murphy’s Chocolate Chip Cookies) are the best I have ever had. The roasted tomatoes were divine. The Asain Noodle salad was a stand-by this summer and I am determined to make a gallette sometime soon! To top it off, she always encourages you to think praiseworthy thoughts. A great message to read on a regular basis.
Did you notice that my last post was about food, too?
