A Little This, A Little That

It's time to play catch up.

Day 9 – What is the most important lesson you learned from your own mother (or other primary caretaker)?

That absolutely every person has value.  It might be hard to determine what it is, but it's there somewhere. ;)

Day 10 – Share your favorite recipe (or two)

ROASTED CARROT SOUP



I have been on the hunt for a delicious carrot soup recipe and here it is.  Not surprisingly I found it on my new favorite foodie site Food 52.  If you like to cook simple, clean and delicious food, you must hop over there.  SO many good ideas.  This dish was super simple and really tasty.  I served it with crusty bread and a big salad with lots of bright strawberries.  Delicious!

INGREDIENTS

• 6 to 8 large carrots (about 1 3/4 pounds)


• 1/4 cup olive oil


• Salt


• 6 cups vegetable stock


• 1 piece ginger, an inch long, peeled


• 1 sprig thyme, plus more for garnish


• 1/2 large sweet onion


• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped


• Freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION

1. Peel and cut the carrots into 1/2-inch rounds. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the carrots with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt. Set an oven rack 6 to 8 inches from the heat source and turn on the broiler. Broil the carrots until they brown and soften, turning them over with a spatula every 5 minutes or so; this should take 15 to 20 minutes.


2. Meanwhile, bring the stock to a boil, add the ginger and the sprig of thyme and simmer gently for 15 minutes.


3. Put the onion in a medium stock pot with the remaining olive oil. Brown the onion over medium heat, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, and then add the carrots.


4. Remove the ginger and thyme from the stock and add the stock to the pot with the onions and carrots. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the carrots are soft enough to puree.


5. Use blender (I used my Cuisinart) to puree the mixture until smooth. If the soup seems too thick, add more stock or water and reheat gently. Add salt and pepper to taste. To serve, garnish with chopped fresh thyme.

CHANNA MASALA

I stumbled on this recipe and the excellent step by step (with pictures) instructions on another favorite foodie blog.  It’s called Eat, Live, Run and has lots of great ideas. This dish is SO good.  If you are a fan of Indian food you must try it.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 15 ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed


• 2 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped


• 1 onion, chopped


• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped


• 1 inch knob ginger, peeled and chopped


• 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes


• 3 tbsp tomato paste


• 1/2 lemon


• 1 tbsp coriander


• 1 tsp cumin


• 1/2 tsp sea salt


• 1 tsp garam masala


• 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper


• 1 tsp tumeric


• 2 tbsp butter

PREPARATION

• In a large cast iron skillet, heat the butter. Once melted, add the onions and cook for about 15 minutes on medium low heat, or until golden brown.


• Once the onions have caramelized, add the garlic, ginger and jalapeno and stir well. Cook for about two minutes or until it starts to smell like heaven on earth.


• Add the tomato paste.


• Add the coriander, cumin, cayenne and tumeric and stir well.


• Then add the diced tomatoes, chickpeas and garam masala.


• Cook for about five minutes or until the chickpeas have heated through.


• Finish with a squeeze of lemon and top with plain yogurt and cilantro if desired!

 Day 11 – In what ways does being a lesbian/2-mom family impact your experience of parenting?

So far, I'm not sure.  Working our way through the process of a 2nd parent adoption is something we would not have had to do as a straight couple, but I don't know that that has had an impact on our experience of parenting.  I would imagine that we think and talk more about the role that men will play in our son's life than the average hetero couple.  As others have mentioned we are blessed by the fact that our family comes without a script.  We have been forced to be quite mindful about all of the decisions we have made so far, from who would carry our child to how we would share household labor.  My wife and I are making it up as we go along; borrowing from families we admire and doing what feels right for all three of us.  We have no well worn grooves to settle into when it all feels like just too much to think about.  I think this is a gift.

As I'm writing this I realize that the most significant fact of our lesbian/2 Mom family situation, is how deeply grateful we are to be able to live this life in the way that we do.  We can't help but marvel (on an almost daily basis) that all of this is really ours.  I have a wife whom everyone who matters to me knows to be my wife.  I have a beautiful son that we made together (I believe this to be true - that boy wouldn't be here without my wife and I loving him into this world) and we have a family of friends and parents and cousins who love and support all three of us.  We've got it good and we know it.

Day 12 – Tell us about the first time you got drunk (as far as you can remember…)

 

I had a few beers here and there towards the end of high school, but I was never DRUNK until I got to college and started attending rugby parties.  Oh my.

The first one of these parties was during the very first week of classes.  Having tagged along with a few older girls I had met at orientation, I immediately joined in on a drinking game.  I like games, right?  This one involved Sting and the Police's Roxanne.  Take a drink every time you hear either "Roxanne" or "red light" depending on your team.  I was on the "Roxanne" team, but there were no winners that night.  I'm fairly sure I made it through 3 rounds.  That is ALOT of Roxannes and A WHOLE LOT of Rolling Rock.  In practically no time at all.  Afterward I remember that even the light in the bathroom where I spent many of the next few hours was nauseating.

Posted in: Nine Months