Ratatouille

It happens the same time every year. Everything in our garden ripens all at once, and I'm scrambling to find ways to use our harvest before Great White Hunter cans it all. While canned garden goods are nice, I think fresh is best.

A little over 10 years ago, way before Disney's movie that managed to make rats seem cute and talented, I started making ratatouille. The way this dish was prepared in the movie, more like a confit, layered in a high sculptural form, was the idea of celebrity chef Thomas Keller (the owner of the famed French Laundry restaurant in Napa Valley). Julia Child insisted on making ratatouille in a similar fashion: by cooking the eggplant and zucchini separate, making a sauce with the tomatoes, peppers and herbs, then layering in a casserole dish and baking in the oven.

My version is much simpler, and much more rustic looking, as everything is cooked together. Inspired by a Provence recipe, I cook my eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, tomatoes and herbs all in one pot. This is very easy to make, and absolutely delicious. My child devours it - "without the basil please mommy" - but still.

RATATOUILLE

3 tbsp. EVOO

2 cups chopped onion

2 1-lb eggplants, unpeeled, and cut into chunks

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 zucchini, unpeeled and cut into chunks

1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks

1 yellow or green bell pepper, cut into chunks

2 3/4 lbs rip tomatoes, seeded and coarsly chopped

3 sprigs fresh thyme

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Heat olive oil in a heavy pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Add eggplant and garlic, saute 5 minutes. Add zucchini and peppers, saute 5 more minutes. Mix in tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf (you can  also add a dash of herbs de Provence if you'd like). Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until veggies are tender, about 30 minutes. Discard bay leaf, stir in basil and season generously with salt and pepper. This dish can be served hot, warm, or cold, and can be prepared up to 8 hours ahead. It makes a wonderful side dish, or a base for grilled fish, but is also perfect as a light summer main course. Serve it with crusty bread and good wine. Yum!

Create yourself

Inspiration can come from many things. But a dish towel? 

Yes, a dish towel. This adorable dish really spoke to me. 

I once had a bustling career with hopes and dreams of what I could achieve.  Then motherhood hit me, and I gave it all up to spend every waking minute with this miracle that is my child. As time went by, I began  to wonder, what the heck happened to me? I used to have dreams and goals for myself; a career that gave me purpose. Now I'm just living for everyone else.

I recently heard someone say, "Let your children see you have a passion for something. Be a mom first, but don't lose who you are." OK, wow.

For a while now, I've been thinking I may have lost myself and my passion. Then I see this cute dish towel, and it reminded me I haven't lost myself, I just haven't created a new me.

So, who do I want to be?

First, I want to be a mom.  The best mom I know how to be.  As I see it, a wonderful opportunity is given to each of us who are raising children.  Yes, it's hard.  Mentally draining at times, but what job isn't? I'm sure there are other noble professions out there that sometimes make you feel as if you're slowly being pecked to death by a chicken. But how many jobs let you play an integral part in raising good and kind human beings? 

Second, I want to make a difference in the world. The founder of Cookies for Kids' Cancer quoted Gandhi when she said, "We must be the change we wish to see in the world." Her son was diagnosed with cancer. She created an organization to help change the future of pediatric cancer research. But it doesn't take ginormous efforts, even the smallest things can bring about change. So with this in mind I will continue to give where there are needs. Raising money for pediatric cancer research. Check. Helping out at the local food bank or nursing home? Check. Trying to inspire others to give back as well? Check. 

Last, I want to turn my creative passion into something worthwhile. Have my own restaurant? Maybe. Open a yarn shop? Hmmm... Become a writer?  All these things are passions of mine, so I'll be searching until I find what I'm looking for. But in the meantime, I'm showing my son I have a passion for something. It took time for me to figure this out, but while I was busy being a Mom, I have created exactly who I want to be.

Summertime

FLASHBACK: It's the last week of school. Your schedule is packed. So much to do, so little time. It's kind of out of control, but you keep your eyes focused on what's ahead. Summertime...

Summer always arrives in the nick of time. Just as you are about to run out of gas, life refuels you with summer. Schedule-wise, things aren't much different: obligations don't disappear in the summer air, and in an effort to keeps our kids from driving us crazy getting too bored, we fill their days with camps, sports, swim lessons and play dates. But there's something about summer that breathes a sigh of relief and brings respite from the monotony and fast pace of the school year. 

At our house, summer means hot days and lots of dips in the pool. In the evening, it's warm enough to eat dinner outside and linger until it gets dark and the air fills with the scent of jasmine and honeysuckle. We spend more than just a weekend at the beach. All the hard work we've been pouring into our garden begins to pay off. And my kitchen gets a little break as the grill takes over.

Summer food. Oh so good, and one of my favorite signs that summer is here. Last night's dinner was amazing. Fresh swordfish, grilled on alder wood planks and topped with a mustard sauce that left us at a loss for words. A bowl of vine ripened tomatoes, tossed with a bit of balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, pepper, and lots of fresh basil.  And since we had just picked about 5 pounds of peaches, peach lavender cobbler for dessert.  

What do you love about summer?

Chef in the making

If you've spent any time at all reading my blog, you know I love to cook. For me, good food can take you out of yourself and transport you to a different place. Cooking is in my bones, and probably in my DNA.  My dad is an incredible cook--a natural; I never saw him use a recipe, but grew up watching him concoct delicious meals that looked as good as they tasted. My comfort food memories are gifts from my Mom. Warm pudding, mashed potatoes, and the best lasagna, turkey soup and apple pie I've ever had. 

I guess it goes without saying that I want my son to experience all the joys of cooking I have come to love. I want him to be shaped, in part, by a passion for good food; to have taste memories that take him back to a certain time and place.


Earlier this spring, I discovered a friend was opening a cooking school for kids. Just a hop, skip, and a jump from our house. I was giddy, to say the least. It wasn't even a question I would sign my son up. To my delight, he was very excited about his summer "cooking camps." Today was his first class, and in his small eyes it was a huge success. He loved everything about it. So did I. The Boerne Cooking Cottage is set in a quaint old house, immaculately restored and designed with the young cook in mind.

"Chef Lauren," as the kids call her, is a treasure. She has amazing teaching skills and patience, plus a dash of fun, which provides for an awesome kid-friendly cooking experience.  My little chef hasn't stopped talking about his "beautiful and delicious banana pudding" all night. We are LOVING this cooking school and can't wait for the next class. If you're local, please stop by and visit The Cooking Cottage. Sign your children up. You won't regret it. The gifts they'll gain will last a lifetime.

Mer - Sea

J'aime la mer.

I saw a pillow, similar to this one, at my favorite beach shop in Port Aransas (in fact, there's even a picture of her here [3rd row, middle pic]). I fell in love with her immediately. The price tag, though, not so much (a mere $400). No can buy, I said. But I could probably make, I thought. So I did.  And I love her. She is fashioned in a similar way to all the rag dolls I make, but I had to freehand the pattern which was surprisingly easy. I used tea-dyed muslin, cotton netting for her hair, and hot glued a boat-load of small sea shells to her body.  I'm taking her down to the beach this weekend, where she'll sit peacefully on my bed. Reminding me how much I love the sea.

The Squirrel Situation

The Texas Hill Country is a beautiful place to live, however challenging for us gardeners.  We share our home with volatile weather, deer and other creatures big and small who make gardening a little arduous. Most people would think deer to be the major problem; not so for us.  Our problem is a bit smaller and much more destructive. Our problem is squirrels. I used to think they were cute, until they began to eat everything, and I mean everything. They attack every bird feeder I put out and leave nothing for our fine feathered friends. Every plant I stick in the ground they nibble on or dig up trying to bury their stash of food. I've even seen them relaxing on my front porch like it's Club Med (my chocolate lab is absolutely no help in deterring them-she prefers chewing shoes over chasing squirrels). Their cuteness has slowly turned to annoyance.  I'm taking the gloves off; let the games begin.

I've tried everything to humanely handle our squirrel problem (I would be happy to peacefully coexist with these critters, but they just don't understand boundaries). They could care less if my lovely petunias taste like Tabasco or if the soil reeks of blood meal or big cat pee (don't ask). I have constantly complained to Great White Hunter about their little shenanigans, expecting him to relish the fact he was being asked to join the fight. Shockingly, he didn't seem to care. Until those little buggers had quite the fiesta in el jardin.

To say Great White Hunter was a bit upset is an understatement. He now feels my pain.  After a trip to the local do-it-yourself store, he came home with an arsenal of have-a-heart products designed to help our situation. So far, nothing has worked. Last night, when we noticed little so-and-so sitting in our backyard, munching on a piece of fruit pilfered from one of our trees, the hunter in my husband reared its ugly head. "Did you want your squirrel BBQ'd or fried?" he mumbled as he trotted off to get something a little less humane. The problem is: he is not joking. The next time my husband gets the urge to cook, you can bet I'll be having a salad. 

The joy is in the journey

There is no travel guide for motherhood.  It's an adventure you can't prepare yourself for no matter how hard you try. Motherhood is a magnificent journey, sometimes hard and sometimes overwhelming, but worth the trip. The moment we begin this journey, we are no longer the person we were before. The territory is almost always unfamiliar, as each day brings new challenges. Sometimes we get lost and want to give up. But then we come across a beautiful discovery, a gift that only motherhood can give, and we have once again found our way. 

Along the way, we stop to smell the roses, but we respect the thorns.  By doing so we become better mothers.

Be thankful for the the journey of motherhood. It is a true blessing.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY.