Tofu-Mushroom Medley & Pesto w/ Penne

Sometimes the tastiest meals are borne from a week’s worth of odds and ends sitting in the refridgerator waiting for a little inspiration. Friday is my favorite night to cook because I’ve usually got lots of leftovers to work with, and I like to start the weekend off being creative in the kitchen. Tonight’s dish brings together everyday ingredients in a not-so-familiar way. The result is surprisingly decadent!

 

Tofu-Mushroom Medley & Pesto w/ Penne

1 block (14 oz) firm tofu

4 cups penne pasta

1 cup mushrooms (mixed varieties)

1 small white onion or 1/2 purple onion

2 cloves garlic

6 tbsp pesto (prepared)

1 tbsp unpacked brown sugar

1 tbsp olive oil

2 sprigs fresh basil

salt and pepper to taste

*Dice onion and simmer with olive oil in a medium sized frying pan. As onion softens and browns, add brown sugar. Carmelize, about 5 minutes or until the mixture is sticky. Strain and cube tofu and add to the onion mixture; cook and occasionally turn tofu until browned. Fold in sliced mushrooms and minced garlic and continue to brown, straining out excess water from the tofu at least once. Add salt and pepper to taste. Meanwhile, bring salted water to boil in a medium sized pot and let penne simmer for 10 minutes (for pasta al dente). Strain penne and coat with pesto sauce. Serve in bowls and top pasta with tofu mixture and fresh basil. Dinner for two.

 

Complementary sides include a mixed greens salad tossed with balsamic vinegar and cherry tomatoes, toasted baguettes with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, sliced cucumbers, loose sweet corn, or broccoli florets, or any combination of these.

Halloweenie

Mama and Baby’s first Halloween together was a hit! August and I started celebrating early by baking chocolate cupcakes for our church’s Light the Night festival. Grandpa paid us an afternoon visit, bringing treats and snapping photos. Later, Momma Key and Pappy arrived, and we all clambered in the van headed for the carnival. Peanut and MK were dressed at cats, August as a little skeleton man. Among the live music, games, eats, and crowds, we found a pumpkin patch and cupcake walk for the little ones – and candy in abundance. And by the end of the night would you believe MK won a blueberry pie in the grown-up cake walk!

Owie!

August got his first shots on Friday – boo hoo! In my opinion, we did pretty well considering this was a painful first for both of us. Three shots and a liquid dose of meds is no walk in the park. Thankfully, Grandpa was there to cradle baby August while I held each of his little legs out for the shots. Of course he cried, but nothing I couldn’t handle. As soon as it was over, I quickly gathered him up into my arms to soothe and then feed him after which he promptly fell asleep.

 

It wasn’t until later that afternoon and into Saturday morning that it all went downhill. He was NOT a happy camper. I spent most of the night as well as today rocking, feeding, and consoling him. Baby Tylenol drops seemed to help with the fever too. Tomorrow should be a much better day, though I still managed to get quite a lot of chores, baking, and writing done in the last four hours he’s been asleep! I’ve got about 15 minutes before Baby Boy wakes up again to eat.

Chewy Oatmeal Walnut Cookies

These delicious cookies pair nicely with vanilla soy milk. You might substitute combined  nutmeg and ground cloves for ground cinnamon (1 1/2 tsp) and vanilla or almond extract (1 tsp). Fold in chocolate chips or golden raisins and cranberries for variety.

 

Chewy Oatmeal Walnut Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar or sugar substitute

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour or other desired flour

3 cups quick cooking oats

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ground cloves

*In a medium sized bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves; stir into creamed mixture. Add oats and fold in walnuts. Cover and chill cookie dough for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Drop cookies onto greased cookie sheets and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Yields 2 dozen cookies.

Heavy Fruit

our pumpkin

deteriorates:

 

tendrils turn brown, large lobed

leaves twist, fall away

 

we wound its weathered skin;

our cantaloupe-colored gourd –

thick rind, edible flesh, many seeds –

lies in a stinking heap.

 

 

This poem is entered in Don Kingfisher Campbell’s Halloween Poetry Contest. Please comment on Heavy Fruit at the contest site above. Many thanks! J

Parenting

Eisenberg, Arlene, Heidi E. Murkoff, and Sandee E. Hathaway. What To Expect The First Year. New York, NY: Workman Publishing Company, 1989.

 

Kimmel, Tim. Raising Kids for True Greatness: Redefine Success for You and Your Child. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2006.

Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie

Oh the joys of domesticity! I found simple pleasure in spending the day at home tending to my son and the house: loads of laundry, dishes, and diaper changes filled in the gaps between baking, napping, writing, and cooking. One of my greater achievements today was a very tasty, very hearty veggie pie. This meal pairs nicely with mixed greens and homemade cranberry sauce on the side. A perfect way to usher in the fall. 

 

Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie

2 cups vegetable broth

1/4 cup skim milk

4 carrots

1 small white onion

3 large red skinned potatoes

1/4 cup white beans

1/4 cup peas

1/4 cup yellow corn

1 small block cheddar cheese

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tsp lavender salt

salt and pepper to taste

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cube or cut carrots into coins, dice onion, and quarter unskinned potatoes. Shred cheese. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine broth, carrots, and onion; cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, boil potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. Thicken carrot mixture with flour. Add beans, peas, corn, and lavender salt. Additionally season with salt and pepper as desired. Pour vegetable mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish. Return to potatoes – strain. In a medium sized bowl, combine potatoes, cheese, and milk; mash and spread over vegetable mixture. Bake for 30 minutes. Serves 4-6 hungry guests.

Letter to My Mother

October 5, 2009

Dear Mama,

 

Many thanks for your visits to see August and me. Even though they are short, it makes me happy to see you each time, and happier still to see how much joy August brings to you and our family. I never thought for all the heartache I’d encountered, that I could ever experience the kind of joy August ushered in with his birth – the same joy you must have felt when you first held me all those years ago. I imagine I will continue to be challenged by motherhood, but I have come into a new life, newfound happiness, authentic joy. Just thought you might like to know this. 

 

Love, your Jessica Joy

A Day at the Park

Today Momma Key, Pappy, Peanut, Auggie, and I – yes, we all have funny nicknames – took a trip to the park and enjoyed a lovely afternoon among fallen oak leaves, wildlife, and pumpkins. Just over six weeks old, August is a real “traveling man” and a fantastic companion. He’s been to the local street fair, the mall, two family reunions, church, the Original Pancake House, the park, and the farmer’s market – and slept through most of it! Our picnic at the park with Grandma was no exception, and lots of fun.

 

With bottles and diaper bags in tow, our little troupe picnicked in a shady spot before heading to the railroad to ride the train and visit the pumpkin patch. We spotted peacocks, ducks, woodpeckers, water turtles, squirrels, and ponies on our tour of the park, and even caught a glimpse of an unmoving hawk perched high above our canopied train car. Making our way through the haunted train tunnel at the end of our journey, we crossed over to the pumpkin patch where Peanut played and drummed on the orange and white gourds and August continued to nap on my shoulder.

 

Tired and sweaty from a day of play, we all left the park in good spirits. Looking forward to a return trip with the kids to pick out some pumpkins to carve in time for Halloween!

First Baby Milestones

August and I are adjusting well. He seems to know the difference between night and day. More and more he stays awake during daylight hours, napping frequently before turning in for one “long” stretch at night when he sleeps from about 11p to 3a consistently. Already I’m noticing primary milestones in August’s development. For the last few weeks now he’s been practicing his smile in his sleep, but this week marked his first real grin, where his little face actually took on an expression as he beamed up at me after a late morning feeding – my heart just swelled with adoration! He’s also beginning to coo, lift his head, turn on his side, follow objects, and generally pay attention to his environment – very exciting stuff!!