autumnal goodies :: apple cider donuts

it all started with her birthday. you can see my little one in the background. recently turned 3. can't believe it! we'd been talking for a long while about what her cake should be. there were many ideas. most included chocolate chips. then we started to talk about Fall. and apple picking and how we always wanted to make apple cider donuts. and so. we decided this was our year. then she announced that for her birthday she would have donuts and ice cream. well. why not! far be it for me to deny a birthday girl her wish.

so, we made donuts! for the first time. and they were awesome! since then we also made some for the school bake sale. they were a hit there, too. which is great. i used this recipe from epicurious.com. now that i have made 3 batches of these bad boys, i think if i were to do donuts again, i would try a yeasted dough, but these were damm fine little dogs!

now the problem seems to be an addiction to deep frying. i have since amazed my children with my deep frying capabilities. my son thought i was a superhero after i turned a corn tortilla into 6 little tortilla chip triangles. i seriously think he thought i was a magician. then, of course we had to try some potato chips too. i think i'd better step away from the oil before i start to get fry crazy. anything could happen.

Rhythm. And lack of it.

i'm in week....3, i think of being at home with no children. it's still a bizarre world to me. i've been cleaning, organizing, planning and not sitting still very much at all. i don't know what i'm doing, to be honest.

i have spent a lot of time working on the rhythm of our kids days. at their Waldorf school they have set "days" that they can rely on. Monday is painting, Tuesday is working with bees wax, Wednesday is walkabout where they go on a long walk to the stream "we saw lots of salimanders today!" and Thursday is bread day. and now that i have 2 kids going to the school, we get 2 loaves. which totally rocks!

last year we had an afterschool rhythm as well and i felt it worked and helped the kids to feel held. it wasn't involved that they didn't have lots of time to just relax or play outside, but it was enough to provide some predictability. and safety. for the past week or so, i've been working to refine the rhythm to suit the new year and the new ages they have become. i'll talk more about it and what is another time, i am sure. a really helpful resource is the book Heaven on Earth. i LOVE this book (it's in the sidebar, too). it's written by a Waldorf teacher and it's by far the most helpful, hands-on book i've read about conscious parenting and incorporating the Waldorf approach at home. lov it.

today, i realized, as i was sort of spinning my wheels and melting down and not feeling held that i work really hard to make sure my children do not feel this way. but i don't do it for myself. i have no anchor. nothing to ground me. i don't know who i am without my children to take care of all day. so, i still spend much the day thinking about and preparing for their return home in the afternoon.

but, what about me? what about my need for something to hold on to? or some sort of rhythm to breathe into. how do i take care of myself in that same way?

autumn :: the spiritual new year

as i look outside the world is turning orange, gold and red. i love living in new england where the world changes color each season. winter makes it all quiet and white. spring brings shades of green, summer is every color of every flower and yellow like the sun. . . and here we are in autumn. apples, pumpkins, harvest festivals, cool breezes. it might be my favorite time of year.

in autumn we get to start again, don't we? it's a new beginning and for me, it is the start of a new year. january never felt like true new years time to me and so i was happy to learn as i traveled my spiritual path that in october is a Spiritual New Year. i feel the anticipation of this stirring on the inner right now.

this autumn i see the trees letting go of their leaves and i'm asking myself, "what am i ready to let go of? what's it time to shed?"

today we celebrate Michaelmas at my children's school--a wonderful Waldorf school perched on a hill in the woods. from their teacher, "Archangel, Michael inspires us to face our inner and outer darkness with renewed strength of will and purpose of life." it's a day to celebrate our courage and face up to the things we have not yet been willing or able to let go of. Michael had to slay the dragon, and of course, so can we. . .our inner dragons. so, we muster all our might and courage and watch them fall. today i'm asking myself (and my inner Michael), can i let go of my outstanding ability to compare myself to others? can i let my true self shine and find inspiration and music from within?

From Dirt To Dinner :: Trying to Redeem Myself

i've been such a giant lame-o. i had the big idea of starting some sort of fun project with beth at Total Mom Haircut and went to her all excited saying let's do something and then i tooooootallly bailed. it's lame. i can't come up with another word.

so, here i am with my tail between my legs trying to make up for it. what have come up with? a THREE IN ONE! yes! i've missed all three post dates for Zucchini, Tomatoes and Corn. alas, i bring you ::

Zucchini and Corn Chowder.

in a word :: YUM. it's really awesomely delicious and at this time of year the flavors just totally sing. i love it and plan to make another (double) batch tomorrow. look at this!

wouldn't you be slurping it down?

i copied the recipe out of a book many many years ago while babysitting when i lived in seattle. and lo and behold, i wrote it down wrong. i clearly omitted a step or 2. so, i had to make adjustments on the fly. when i make a new batch, i'll make notes and then offer the new recipe here. . . if there is anyone out there who'd be interested.

i fully expect that i have no readers left. and i'm not sure how much i'll be blogging in the near future. but i do want to get back to it. i've been experiencing a time of Big Change. it's good. it would be good to write about. . . the blog would take on a bit of an air of "what a mom's transition to having both kids in school is like." i can't believe that in 5 days BOTH my children will be in school. 4 days a week. 8:30 - 2:30pm. and i will start the unfolding of myself process. Big. Change.

From Dirt To Dinner :: Cabbage

yes, i am still here! but barely. summer is so busy! aren't we all out and about doing stuff and not spending so much time computing. . . or is it just me? it's not even like i'm doing so much as i'm NEEDED so much. 2 kids full-time and a really busy hubby = frazzled mama. trying to keep it all together, y'all.

speaking of keeping it together, we mixed up an awesome little cabbage and apple slaw for this weeks From Dirt To Dinner installment. i have to say we all enjoyed it. and it's hard to please this whole family, i tell you. unless we are eating ice cream. . .

so, here it is, our "recipe" for Apple Cole Slaw. we really didn't do a ton of measuring. . .and it was hard for us to find the cabbage from a local source, but eventually did at our Co-op. i missed the farmer's market where i'm sure i would have found many cabbagey options.

INGREDIENTS

equal parts carrot and purple cabbage (local, of course!)

one large apple (organic!)

equal parts plain yogurt and mayo (you can adjust this ratio to your liking)

salt

pepper

honey to taste

bit of lemon if you got it

HOW TO

in a large bowl, grate carrot and apple

finely chop cabbage add to bowl

toss!

in a small bowl combine mayo, yogurt, salt, pepper, honey and we thought later that lemon would have been nice, but we didn't have any--mix all that up well

pour dressing over veggies and stir it up. adjust salt and pepper to taste

super yummy on a hot day! and we've got plenty of those going on.

From Dirt To Dinner :: Strawberry Lovin'

well, it seems that From Dirt to Dinner is the only thing keeping this blog alive.

while i wish it were different, i'm trying to accept that it's just the way it is right now.

i'm going through some. . . growth right now that is sorta painful. growing pains, "life stuff" whatever you want to call it. been a stay-at-home mom for nearly 6 years now. and while it's been wonderful, it's also been a rough ride. the Big Question i'm grappling with is,

who am i? being a mom became my identity. so, where is the rest of me? i

would love to be posting about this process. so far, i have not been able to. perhaps that will change. who knows.

in addition to "life stuff" we are trying to sell our house and have been mounting a HUGE fundraiser project for my son's school. so. busy. yes. on to delicious things!

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE!

this week, we celebrate the berry.

last year we picked and picked. this year, we have not made it to the farm itself, but thankfully others have and we have benefited from this!

i decided to make shortcake with the kids. bb (who is nearly 6 now) could not wrap his little head around why the cakes would be "short." "can we, like, make them taller if we want, mommy?" so cute.

my process pics came out all blurry and unusable (SO overdue for a new camera), but i got some OK ones of the final product.

here is what we used for local products.....

Strawberries - 30 miles (organic strawberry farm)

Heavy Cream - .5 miles (we have a dairy farm on our street. sweet!)

not bad!

i really love supporting local farmers. it feels good to support my community in this way. it's a big part of why i wanted to do the Dirt To Dinner project with beth (go see what luscious berry goodness she cooked up this week!)

happy summer everyone!

from Dirt To Dinner :: Peas, please

it's pea time!

one of my fondest childhood memories is running through my grampa's HUGE garden in the back of his house and picking peas with my sister and cousin. there was such a rush of excitement when finding the biggest, fattest pod on the plant--bursting with fat, sweet, amazingly green peas. i LOVED them. no, i would not eat them

cooked--as most children wouldn't, i suspect. but right out of the pod. . . yes. yes. yes.

i'm sad to say that i couldn't get 'round to the farmer's market in time to pick some up and post something yummy today. it's been a rough week around here! i'm choosing to cut myself some slack.

however, if i had been able to get those little beauties, i was all ready to make Green Pea Soup with Tarragon and Pea Sprouts. found on epicurious.com.

looks good, right? like my kids might actually eat it if i called like, "kermit's soup" or something. it could happen! and maybe still will. . .

anyway, head over to see what beth did with the peas, because it's sure to be amazing and she probably grew them herself! cause she rocks. also, on her blog are the FAQs if you wanna join up! next on the docket....STRAWBERRIES! we'll be posting on june 18th!