A hair day

Just for giggles...

 

 

Rigatoni with Spicy Calabrese-Style Pork Ragù

I totally nailed this one. That is, once I noticed that tiny but ever-so-key part of the instructions that read "and then simmer....for 4 hours." The girls were a bit disappointed to learn that the pasta I'd promised for dinner was actually not going to be ready until the next day (due to my recipe-reading oversight) but it was well worth the wait! Graham and I have a thing for bolognese-type meat sauces and have tried countless restaurant renditions around the city. But in our humble opinion, none of them have topped our own homemade version (I'll share that recipe another day). Until now. This new ragu-style recipe stole my heart tonight and, along with it, may now hold my vote for the best meat sauce. It's a close call. Regardless, you need to try it. The recipe (and above picture) are courtesy of Bon Appetit Magazine. I followed the recipe mostly as written except that I substituted dried oregano because I didn't have fresh. I love that it recommends using the food processor to finely chop the veggies rather than doing it by hand - a huge time saver! Definitely go for the hot Italian sausage over the sweet and next time I think I will add more carrots and celery. I can't wait to make a big batch and freeze it for those rushed weeknight dinners. Enjoy!

Rigatoni with Spicy Calabrese-Style Pork Ragù

1 medium onion, quartered

1 carrot, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 celery stalk, cut into 1-inch pieces

4 garlic cloves

2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided

1 (28-oz) can whole peeled tomatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

1 pound ground pork

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 pound rigatoni or penne rigate

3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan plus more

Pulse onion, carrot, celery, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup parsley in a food processor until finely chopped; transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Purée tomatoes with juices in processor; set aside.

Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat; add sausage and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until browned, about 4 min-utes. Add ground pork, season with salt and pepper, and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate.

Increase heat to medium-high. Add reserved vegetable mixture to drippings in pot, season with salt, and cook, stirring often, until golden, 8-10 minutes.

Stir tomato paste and 1 cup water in a small bowl; add to pot. Cook, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, 6-8 minutes.

Add reserved meat and tomato purée and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, adding more water as needed to keep meat nearly submerged, until meat is tender, about 4 hours. Season with salt. 

DO AHEAD: Ragù can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool. Cover and chill, or freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat before continuing.

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 2 cups pasta cooking liquid.

Add pasta and 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid to sauce; stir to coat. Stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan and remaining 1/4 cup parsley. Increase heat to medium and continue stirring, adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until sauce coats pasta. Divide among bowls; top with more Parmesan.

Rigatoni with Spicy Calabrese-Style Pork Ragù

I totally nailed this one. That is, once I noticed that tiny but ever-so-key part of the instructions that read "and then simmer....for 4 hours." The girls were a bit disappointed to learn that the pasta I'd promised for dinner was actually not going to be ready until the next day (due to my recipe-reading oversight) but it was well worth the wait! Graham and I have a thing for bolognese-type meat sauces and have tried countless restaurant renditions around the city. But in our humble opinion, none of them have topped our own homemade version (I'll share that recipe another day). Until now. This new ragu-style recipe stole my heart tonight and, along with it, may now hold my vote for the best meat sauce. It's a close call. Regardless, you need to try it. The recipe (and above picture) are courtesy of Bon Appetit Magazine. I followed the recipe mostly as written except that I substituted dried oregano because I didn't have fresh. I love that it recommends using the food processor to finely chop the veggies rather than doing it by hand - a huge time saver! Definitely go for the hot Italian sausage over the sweet and next time I think I will add more carrots and celery. I can't wait to make a big batch and freeze it for those rushed weeknight dinners. Enjoy!

Rigatoni with Spicy Calabrese-Style Pork Ragù

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 1 carrot, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 celery stalk, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided
• 1 (28-oz) can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 pound ground pork
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 pound rigatoni or penne rigate
• 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan plus more

Preparation

• Pulse onion, carrot, celery, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup parsley in a food processor until finely chopped; transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Purée tomatoes with juices in processor; set aside.
• Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat; add sausage and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until browned, about 4 min-utes. Add ground pork, season with salt and pepper, and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate.
• Increase heat to medium-high. Add reserved vegetable mixture to drippings in pot, season with salt, and cook, stirring often, until golden, 8-10 minutes.
• Stir tomato paste and 1 cup water in a small bowl; add to pot. Cook, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, 6-8 minutes.
• Add reserved meat and tomato purée and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, adding more water as needed to keep meat nearly submerged, until meat is tender, about 4 hours. Season with salt. DO AHEAD: Ragù can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool. Cover and chill, or freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat before continuing.
• Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 2 cups pasta cooking liquid.
• Add pasta and 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid to sauce; stir to coat. Stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan and remaining 1/4 cup parsley. Increase heat to medium and continue stirring, adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until sauce coats pasta. Divide among bowls; top with more Parmesan.

Where have we gone wrong?

Today was one of those days of parenting where I feel like I have a big giant "You've failed" stamped in red across my forehead.  I've had these days before but usually related to losing my temper and acting out in exasperation.  Today was different.  I didn't yell at the kids.  I actually held it together quite well during a couple category 5 whine fests.  But it's the two flippant comments I overheard my eldest say that are eating away at me.  I still can't believe they came out of her mouth.

I think we all try to parent into our insecurities, doing everything we can to protect our children from the specific things we struggled with as kids and even as adults.  We grow very passionate about developing and instilling the qualities and values that we lacked because we've been there, done that and would never wish the pain on anyone, particularly our children.  A couple examples of these "hot button" areas for me are surrounding anxiety and poor body image.  I have struggled with both at times so know how suffocating they can become when allowed to take root and take over.  Naturally, I want to spare my girls from these two ugly beasts and so choose to consciously  parent in a way that I hope will result in that.  So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Isla's first comment struck a deep chord with me.  We were upstairs in her room when I asked her to clean up her toys.  She told me (and I quote) "I can't clean up my toys because I'm too stressed out."  WHAT!?  I giggled a little at first - I mean really, what three year old says stuff like that - but her comment really stung.  I mean seriously, WHAT THREE YEAR OLD SAYS STUFF LIKE THAT?!  A three year old living with two incredibly stressed out parents I guess.  Granted, I'm sure she's not truly experiencing anxiety and stress over her toys but the fact remains that the phrase has been modeled for her somewhere and she has picked up on it.  And so began the spinning cycle of insecure thoughts and mental self-beatings that we could allow this to happen. Giant "You've failed" stamp number one.

Later on in the evening, Isla was standing in front of the mirror and lifting up her shirt ever so slightly when I heard her utter the words "I'm fat" as she looked at her reflection.  She said it quite light-heartedly, almost as if she thought fat was just another word like tummy and abdomen that we use to refer to our stomachs.  I froze in complete shock.  As a professional, I was appalled but as a mother, I was literally devastated.  Talk about a dagger to a dietitian's heart!  Where did she learn this behavior?  How on earth is it already happening?  She is not even three and a half!  This is not the kind of body-image-promoting talk we permit in this house and, though I am quite confident it is not something she learned from her parents, it is a harsh reality to learn she is not immune.  Giant "You've failed" stamp number two.

It is moments like these where my instincts scream out to build an iron bubble around my kids to guard them from our world that is becoming ever-so-sickening by the day.  But that is also the reaction Graham and I are passionately, adamantly trying to resist.  We feel strongly that we are called to raise children who are "in the world but not of the world" and our goal is to teach them to be God-fearing girls who are strong, independent and confident in who they are in Christ, not swayed by the messages of the world around them.

Easier said than done!!

Today was a good reminder that we will fail our kids.  That those around us will fail them.  Over and over.  But what's done is not done and we serve a big God who helps mend and match the messes we create!  Lord give us grace and wisdom as we seek to do our very best.

Emma: 17 Months

New this month for Emma:

-loves to dance and can more or less jive to the beat

-top 2 molars snuck their way in while I was busy watching for front teeth

-top right lateral incisor followed closely behind

-LOVES her binkies (one in the mouth, one in the hand for sleep only)

-still taking 2 naps but morning one is shortening

-doesn't like it when mommy leaves her

-loves her bath

-loves brushing her teeth even more

-adores all sound-making toys, particularly Isla's stuffed dog "Violet" 

-is warming back up to real dogs and was even caught petting one a time or two

-loves to "pray" and often re-folds her hands throughout the meal to indicate she wants to pray again

-is learning how to jump and I've never seen anything cuter

-loves to blow her nose and then "clean" the wall with her tissue

-finds an open door and books out, straight for the street

-loves going outside, rain or shine

-really likes standing on the bathroom stool

-wants to wash her hands whenever possible

-favorite veggies: kale, broccoli & cooked carrots

-still loves a good story but prefers to be the ONLY one read to

-learned to bounce down the stairs frontward on her bum and makes the cutest sound while doing it

-has more or less 4 words/sounds that she uses to communicate everything she wants: "yeah," "mmm-mhmm" (no), "uhhhh-uh" (hard to write phonetically but basically ends starts low and ends high and means "I want"), and "Dah" (that), usually said while pointing

-makes a new crinkley face when she's feeling goofy (I have yet to capture it on film)

-still her sweet, cuddly, quirky, usual self that makes me want 10 of her!

Heaven snippets

Have I mentioned my child has a slight obsession with death? Scratch that. Let's instead call it a healthy curiosity about heaven. Whatever the case, I wanted to document just a few (yes there were many more) of the questions Isla has asked me over the last two days:

Why is Daddy not dead?
When are we going to die?
Are the angels boys or girls?
How many angels are there?
Why did Jesus die on Calvary?
How come we're not going to wear clothes when we go to Jesus' house?
Will there be birthdays there?
Will there be beds?
Have just a few people died? Tell me their names.
Why are my grandma and grandpa not dead?

Just a typical Wednesday over here...Please tell me your three year old asked you these same questions today too.

Isla: 41 Months

Some tidbits about Isla this month:

-She no longer sleeps with Ducky!

-One of her favorite pastimes involves being tucked into bed, finding a good reason to get back out and then yelling to be re-tucked back it. Repeat x 3.

-She likes drinking out of a straw. Sometimes two.

-She's the bravest of ballerinas after overcoming the initial pre-class jitters ("I don't waaaaaaaant to go to my dance class!") She now eagerly looks forward to Wednesdays and (I think) is learning how to follow directions. She loves to show me her "new moves" like "the pizza slice" and we are now playing pretend dance class. Somehow this is the best dance attire picture we've captured thus far: 

-She changes her clothes approximately 5 times daily and is constantly asking to change into a different dress. 

-Is quite warm-blooded and can frequently be found wearing tank tops and sundresses.

-Nap time is now "quiet time." An awake 3 year old at 10:30 PM helped me make this decision.

-She is showing us a whole new side to her: a strong sense of worry and concern. Most often it is related to the safety of her sister and on the one hand it is very sweet but it is also a little alarming to see how stressed she becomes when Emma walks more than 5 feet away from us in public places.

-Despite her growing sense of anxiety, she's still a playful kid at heart!  

-She loves:

-learning what different words are in Spanish

-asking when our birthdays are

-staying home (or so she says)

-being in charge
-having Mom and mom ONLY put her to bed

-talking about Mickey Mouse and heaven

-trying to figure out who my Grandpa and Grandma Wilson are 

-praying before meals: "Dear God, Thank you for this food and for this day and that we could be together as a family. Amen!"