Raspberries

Graham keeps asking me when I am going to start my food blog and I so badly want my answer to be "Right this minute!" The little hands that grab at my ankles and the voices that vie for my time make me skeptical it will ever happen but if I don't start now, when will I? Soooo, with that, I gladly present to you my very first food post in a long, long time! Hopefully there will be more to follow.

It's raspberry season and so what better time to share some of my favorite recipes that put these red beauties to good use? We went picking a few weeks ago and came home with 19 pounds to play with. My very favorite recipe for fresh raspberries is homemade freezer jam. I have my mom to thank for this annual tradition. We've been picking berries ever since I can remember and I used to enter jars of my jam in the local county fair to earn some spending money (thank you 4-H!) The recipe is not healthy by any means but since when has jam been considered a health food? Though he often tries to deny it, this jam was one of the reasons my husband married me. He got his first taste of this homemade stuff some 7 years ago on a Valentine's Day breakfast picnic and he's been hooked ever since.

I've made this recipe enough times to know not to mess with the ingredient measurements. The amounts should be exact (yes, I realize that's a LOT of sugar!!) or the jam won't thicken properly and you'll end up with jars of raspberry soup. Been there done that. If you've been itching for a delicious spread, make this. We love it on both toast and scones. Enjoy!

Quick and Easy Raspberry Freezer Jam

3 1/4 cups crushed fresh raspberries (do not puree - it should still have bits of fruit in it)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

4 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

Combine crushed berries and lemon juice in a large bowl. Gradually stir in 1 box of fruit pectin and mix thoroughly. Set aside for 30 minutes, mixing every 5 minutes to dissolve pectin.

Pour corn syrup into fruit mixture and mix well (this prevents sugar crystallization during freezer storage). Add sugar gradually, stirring constantly until completely dissolved and no longer grainy.

Pour into 1-2 cup size jam jars, leaving 1/2-inch space at the top for expansion during freezing; cover. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours or until set. Refrigerate up to 3 weeks or store in freezer for up to 1 year. Thaw in refrigerator before serving.

Makes 7 cups. 



Raspberries

Graham keeps asking me when I am going to start my food blog and I so badly want my answer to be "Right this minute!" The little hands that grab at my ankles and the voices that vie for my time make me skeptical it will ever happen but if I don't start now, when will I? Soooo, with that, I gladly present to you my very first food post in a long, long time! Hopefully there will be more to follow.

It's raspberry season and so what better time to share some of my favorite recipes that put these red beauties to good use? We went picking a few weeks ago and came home with 19 pounds to play with. My very favorite recipe for fresh raspberries is homemade freezer jam. I have my mom to thank for this annual tradition. We've been picking berries ever since I can remember and I used to enter jars of my jam in the local county fair to earn some spending money (thank you 4-H!) The recipe is not healthy by any means but since when has jam been considered a health food? Though he often tries to deny it, this jam was one of the reasons my husband married me. He got his first taste of this homemade stuff some 7 years ago on a Valentine's Day breakfast picnic and he's been hooked ever since.

I've made this recipe enough times to know not to mess with the ingredient measurements. The amounts should be exact (yes, I realize that's a LOT of sugar!!) or the jam won't thicken properly and you'll end up with jars of raspberry soup. Been there done that. If you've been itching for a delicious spread, make this. We love it on both toast and scones. Enjoy!

Quick & Easy Raspberry Freezer Jam

3 1/4 cups crushed fresh raspberries (don't puree-- it should still have bits of fruit in it)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

4 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1) Combine crushed berries and lemon juice in a large bowl.

2) Gradually stir 1 box of fruit pectin into fruit and mix thoroughly. Set aside for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minues to dissolve pectin.

3) Pour corn syrup into fruit mixture and mix well (this prevents sugar crystallization during freezer storage).

4) Stir in sugar gradually. Stir constantly until sugar is completely dissolved and no longer grainy.

5) Pour into 1-2 cup size jam jars, leaving 1/2-inch space at the top for expansion during freezing; cover.

6) Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours or until set. Refrigerate up to 3 weeks or store in freezer for up to 1 year. Thaw in refrigerator before serving.

Makes 7 cups. 



Isla: 2 Years, 11 Months (35 Mo)

I'm really proud of my Isla pie. She's so adventurous and willing to try new things - I just love that about her! I'm realizing another perk of being her mom is that I get to be a kid all over again as I introduce her to new experiences. Her excitement is contagious!  

I see so much of myself in her sometimes it's scary (except for her looks of course!) She's a lover of order and symmetry and likes everything to be a certain way. I wasn't paying any attention one day and realized she'd put together this masterpiece with no guidance. Wow!

I took the girls raspberry picking with Rachel and Oliver a couple weeks back. We picked about 20 pounds and had a ball! Isla did a phenomenal job. I wasn't really paying attention and next thing I knew, she'd filled her red bucket 3/4 of the way full all by herself! Then she decided to take a break and plopped down in the middle of the row to taste the fruits of her labor. Next thing I knew, there was only about 2 inches of berries left in her bucket. She probably ate at least 3 cups! :) 

 She's my little gardener and loves to help me whether it be digging, watering the plants or weeding. She likes picking strawberries too, regardless of their color. I look forward to many years ahead of teaching her what (little) I know about growing things! 

 I have to keep a watchful eye out for her as I think she would live outside if I let her. She just lets herself out, sometimes without shoes or clothes... I love this shot I caught of her, playing in the yard in her undies. :) 

 I have been making a very intentional effort to let the little things slide as I know I have four little eyes watching me very closely (and I've been known to growl and make a fuss when messes and accidents happen). I can't even tell you how much it warms my heart when Isla spills something or falls and gets dirty but then she jumps up and cheerfully exclaims "That's OK!" It has taken a lot of hard work and biting my tongue to teach her to do this but it's working and I'm thrilled she's picking up on it.

 We've been having a lot of spiritual conversations in our house lately. Isla asked me one day where MY Grandpa and Grandma Wilson were and I told her they were in heaven at Jesus' house. I don't think she quite understood that MY Grandpa & Grandma Wilson and HER Grandpa & Grandma Wilson were not one and the same. Oops. I think we have that all straightened out now. Anyway, now she is always wanting to know if Jesus is wearing underwear and whether there will be various toys in heaven. I love the way she thinks and try to answer her questions as best as I know how.

She's also started to pray aloud this month with is something that, as parents, fills our hearts with joy. Her prayer topics are variable but she often includes things like "Help us to learn to obey the first time" or "Help Emma to stop screaming." Then there was one day on a run when I'm pretty sure we caught some teenage boys who were just about to graffiti a bridge. Since then, Isla has prayed numerous times "Help those boys not to paint the bridge."

 Isla really does love her daddy though I think he's questioning that fact lately. Isla is ALL about me and is frequently caught saying "No Daddy! Mommy do it." Graham is doing a good job of pursuing her despite the face slaps (thankfully verbal and not physical!) she keeps throwing his way. We know this is a phase that will pass but it is rather tiring for the both of us.

Isla is still in her crib but we are about to make it into a big girl bed. Maybe. She has learning that SCREAMING in the middle of the night that she needs to go potty usually gets her some attention. But, when this happens five times before 3 AM, and she doesn't go with any urgency when she gets up, a parent starts to wonder... BUT, though she could technically take care of her business on her own if we had her in a big girl bed, I'm pretty sure we'll just end up with a little visitor at our door multiple times a night. I am officially as sleep-deprived as I was when Emma was a newborn so it's time to do something. I guess you never know until you try.

Oh my goodness these two just love each other! (Don't let her shirt deceive you - they are just cousins though Isla sometimes bosses him around like she's his sister). The kids are old enough now where I've been able to manage to watch Gid again occasion while my sister works (3 kids under 3!!) and it's been a lot of fun.  

 We took Isla on her 2nd ever (??) hike this month to Mason Lake with our friends the Welchs. Yowser was that hard work! She LOVED it though and I was proud of our family for doing it. Hiking once a years makes you hardcore, right?

 I wonder if Isla's favorite part of the day isn't getting dressed in the morning. She loves to pick our her outfit and is very particular that everything must "match." And that, my friends, is why you are seeing a lot of my child in monochromatic color schemes. The green top must be paired with green pants and pink with pink. She is totally puzzled when I tell her blue jeans "match" a red top. Throughout the day, she'll add another layer or switch into a new outfit because "the other one was too hot." A co-worker gave me 3 HUGE bags of hand-me-downs and you would have thought Isla died and went to heaven given her excitement as she tried on each new item (days of entertainment people!)

We've been trying to get into a routine of talking about our days at dinnertime. Over the past couple months, I've been asking Isla about the best and hardest parts of her day. She used to respond with "all of it" when asked what was her favorite but now she's actually beginning to select one of our activities. She's even gone as far as to ask me "Mom, how was your day?" I love it!

My Garden, 2012

I took the opportunity to put Graham's new camera lens to good use yesterday and captured my garden (and a couple gardeners) that is almost in full bloom. For living in a small condo with only a couple small beds, I'd say we're doing pretty good! I LOVE my perennials -- they get better every year! And the produce in my planter box is providing enough for a couple of salads or side veggies a week which makes me oh so very happy. Truly. There is something about visualizing the fruits of your labor that is so fulfilling! We've been joking lately about someday owning "vast tracts of land" in Woodinville where I'll have my "real" garden. And where we'll host dinner parties in our field with white lights hung overhead....Maybe someday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Graham's 29th (AKA: Day of the Pastries)

Sometimes I wonder if this guy ended up with the wrong lady given his love for pastries! Or maybe she's the right lady, depending on your perspective. Anyhow, we didn't necessarily set out to celebrate Graham's birthday by indulging in butter-laden dough but it sort of just happened. But it's his last year in his twenties (he's NOT excited about this) so we lived it up and started the day with some doctored-up croissant dough from Trader Joe's that I filled with ham and Gruyere.

 We'd planned to take our pastries to a coffee shop so we could accompany them with some espresso. But waking up at 10 AM (the birthday boy, NOT me!) and getting to an 11 o'clock church service from the eastside is not conducive to such things. So, we scarfed them down in the car instead.

 Apparently I traded in my creativity for children as my birthday planning skills have greatly diminished over ohhhhhh, about the last 3 years. Poor Graham. Someday I hope to bring the extravagant back! But for our current phase of life, less planning may very well be better as an over-planned day usually goes awry when kids are in tow. Anyway, after church, we decided last minute to head down to Pike Place for more pastries!

 This is Graham's absolute favorite lunch treat and the line out the door affirmed it is many others' favorite as well. Isla and I waited in line for our Beef and Cheese & Chicken, Rice and Mushroom (Isla's choice) piroshky. It was the girls' virgin piroshky experience and they just dove right in. There's still evidence of that delicious dough in Emma's car seat!

 We were serenaded by a folky group outside the very first Starbucks who provided great music for Isla to show off her latest dance moves. 

 

 After wandering the market for a bit, we headed home for naps (which mostly happened in the car). Then it was time for presents. Ok, singular present actually. Graham got a fun new camera lens that will allow us (errr, I mean him!) to take close ups! He played around with it a bit and captured some shots of us girls.

 

 Oh and note the miniature raspberry birthday pie in the background of this one (pastry #3!) If I'm honest, I must confess we have yet to consume it but it's on the agenda for tonight. And the beverage pictured is Graham's raspberry-lime infused water!

Next we dropped the girls off at our friend's house and I took Graham to the Preservation Kitchen where we were served a four course chef's tasting menu in a private dining room (one of the former bedrooms upstairs) with wine pairings for each course. Normally using coupons on a date is considered low-class but ya see, with my hubby, knowing we got a good deal is hugely important to him. So the Bloomspot deal I'd purchased was the inspiration for our evening. We were served Pork Belly w/ Cabbage and Apples that had been braised for 48 hours as our first course. Next came a Yakima Valley Sweet Onion Salad with Bell Peppers, Mango and gorgonzola served in a Cilantro Vinaigrette. For our main dish, we ate Muscovy Duck Breast with Roasted Potatoes in a Ancho Chile Coulis. And for dessert (which was the best course), we had a chocolate torte served inside a caramel nest with peanut butter "dust." We both felt the food was good (for Bothell at least!) but that it all sounded better than it actually tasted. We learned that they'd hired a new chef 3 weeks ago so maybe that was part of it? But, we got a good deal :) and we had good conversation so I think all in all it was a success!

Happy Birthday to my man in his twenties!!!