Freezing Scallions

This week in our farm box we got scallions.  Had I realized that, I would not have purchased a bunch at the store yesterday.  What to do with all these green onions?

I did some research and they are totally freezable.  You probably knew this - I vaguely remember seeing a water bottle filled with chopped onions on pinterest or something.

Anyhoo, its super easy!  Wash and chop your onions.  The lay out your cookie sheet and cover with parchment paper if you want.  (See note...)  Lay a single layer of onions on the cookie sheet and pop in the freezer for a few hours.  Once they are frozen, put in an air tight container. 

Apparently they won't be as crispy when they are thawed, so keep that in mind.  Maybe not the best for topping a baked sweet potato, but perfect for soups, crock pot dishes, etc.

Note:  Parchment paper is the bomb.  I use it almost every time I use my cookie sheets.  It helps so much for a quick clean up.

Saint Barts Lentil Salad

 

This salad is delicious.  My mom got a hold of this recipe from her friend who took cooking lessons from Ina Garten in France.  Its now in our family "Tried and True" recipe book, and the only credit I can find is "from a cookbook by Steven Raichlen."  Thanks, Steven.  This is a favorite!

The carrots, scallions (see note), and radishes all came from Woodland Gardens.  I bought the lentils precooked in the produce section of Trader Joes to make it less time consuming.

St. Barts Lentil Salad

1 1/2 cups lentils (preferably Le Puy lentils - per my mom's notes, I used TJ's as stated above)

1 cup radishes, cut into matchstick slivers

2 whole tomatoes, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/4 in dice (I also cheated here - I just diced tomatoes without peeling and seeding... I was hungry and didn't want to wait!)

2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 in dice

1 stalk celery, cut into 1/4 in dice

1/2 small red onion, cut into 1/4 in dice (about 1/4 cup) *I used scallions today

1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

3 TBSP finely chopped fresh tarragon (or other fresh herb or more parsley)

1 jalapeno chili, seeded and minced (I omit - personal preference)

1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce, or to taste

1 clove garlic, minced

3 TBSP fresh lime juice, or to taste

2 TBSP tarragon vinegar, rice vinegar, or red wine vinegar, or to taste

2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

salt

freshly ground black pepper

Cook the lentils (unless you bought prepared lentils) in 6 cups boiling water until tender but not soft, about 25 minutes.  Drain the lentils in a colander, reserving 1/2 of the cooking liquid.  Refresh the lentils under cold water and drain well.

In a mixing bowl or salad bowl, combine lentils, radish slivers, tomatoes, carrots, celery, onion, parsley, tarragon, chili, hot sauce, garlic, lime juice, or season to taste.  This salad should be highly seasoned.

New Favorite Author: Liane Moriarty

New Favorite Author: Liane Moriarty

                If you are looking for an enjoyable read that you cannot put down, that ALSO has great character development and is thought provoking, look no further.  Liane Moriarty, an author from Down Under, delivers with What Alice Forgot and The Husband’s Secret.   

                What Alice Forgot is the story of, you guessed it, Alice.  She falls off a treadmill at age 40 and gets amnesia.  She can’t remember anything after the age of 29, and finds herself wondering how in the world she got to where she finds herself: a wife in a marriage that is crumbling, over-committed, etc.  Not quite where she thought she would be.  As she gets her memory back, she also pieces her life together with a fresh perspective on what truly is important to her.  Life is short, so we need to spend our time wisely and deliberately.  I felt like I could totally identify with Alice, and often find myself thinking is this a 29 year old Katie decision or something that could put me on a path of no return?  Read it – I promise you will love it.  

                The Husband’s Secret is a Sliding Doors type of novel… a perfect storm between three families who all find themselves intertwined by one horrible tragedy.  With the three families, you meet an array of characters who maybe have a little something in common with yourself (or maybe that’s just me…). Not all, but a few.  Moriarty cleverly weaves them together in this novel, and leaves no stone unturned in the end.  After you read What Alice Forgot, grab this one.  It won’t disappoint!

                Moriarty has two other books out that I have on my list: The Hypnotist’s Love Story: A Novel and The Last Anniversary.  I will update once I have devoured them!

Athens Area March for Babies, April 19th, 2014

Spring marks an important event in our lives: the March for Babies. This is a walk that benefits the March of Dimes. I will walk in celebration of my two special boys, Jack and Will. It is an honor to pay tribute to this amazing organization.


Most of you know Jack and Will's stories. To get a quick recap - check out our video.  Or read below :)
http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/view_shared?p=a4a4c428966b0473c9e25a&skin_id=701&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=email

This year I have been working the the Athens Area March of Dimes Executive Committee.  We want to make this year's walk BIG.  The walk is April 19th at 9 AM.  It starts at Stegeman Coliseum.  There will be music, bounce houses, and rumor has it Hairy may make an appearance.  There is tons of food, and great company for a good cause!  Its a fun, family event. 


We would LOVE to have you walk on our team.  You do not have to pay anything to be there and walk.  Donations are totally voluntary.  You can sign up to walk and be there to support in person.  I may put you in a team t-shirt though :)

Our Team Webpage: www.marchforbabies.com/katiekryan

If you do want to donate, that is awesome.  Last year we were the 2nd place Family Team in terms of fundraising for the Athens area.  I'd love to do better this year! Every bit helps! 

Thank you for supporting our cause. We celebrate the lives of our sons, Jack and Will, as we honor the March of Dimes.  The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.

Jack and Will's Story:
Jack was born at 34 weeks and spent time in the NICU at the University of Florida Shands Hospital. I was first introduced to the March of Dimes when Jack was growing in the NICU and was touched by their support of families who had premature babies in the hospital. Will directly benefited from the research funded by the March of Dimes. 48 hours after his birth, the doctors intubated Will and gave him artificial surfactant. Surfactant is what all lungs produce to open themselves up for breathing. Because Will was a bit early, his lungs had not produced enough of this to allow him to breath on his own. The March of Dimes funded the research that led to the development of artificial surfactant. Will was intubated for a total of 5 days. Our experience in the NICU with both boys taught us so much, most importantly that we have two sweet blessings at home with us. David and I are convinced that if the technology had not been available and there had not been well trained and caring doctors capable of using that technology effectively, that Will's outcome may not have been as good as it turned out to be.

Pictures:

Top - Jack in the NICU
Middle - our March of Dimes team in Gainesville, FL, where the boys were born
Lower - Will on the day he left the NICU with one of the best NICU nurses ever.  So thankful for her!

Woodland Gardens

We have been doing a produce box from Woodland Gardens, a certified organic farm in Winterville, GA, since April of 2013.  Each week, we are given a huge supply of beautiful, organic fruits and vegetables.  I love this box, but as with anything that is worth it, there has been a huge learning curve for me and the family.

My boys are good vegetable eaters.  They will eat carrots, broccoli, green beans, corn, peas, sweet potatoes, "magic leaves" aka raw spinach, etc.  (The carrots that come in the box are out of this world.  They honestly taste different than the carrots from the grocery store.  Less carroty if that makes any sense... Just a sweet, refreshing crunch.)  I have cooked their veggies in very basic ways, and now they really don't like anything fancy.  Easy enough for a weeknight dinner!  But I quickly realized I had no idea how to introduce a turnip or radish and make it appealing to them (or myself for that matter).  They are not excited to get out of their comfort zones, and a "no thank you bite" is often a teeny tiny nibble.  Challenge 1 - how to broaden the family's horizons.

Challenge 2 - how to make the most of the box.  Initially, a good portion of our box was not being used appropriately.  That's putting it nicely because I can't believe how wasteful I was being.  I would bring the box home on Tuesday nights and put everything in the fridge.  Most of the lettuces would wilt.  I would forget what we had, or just avoid it because I had no idea what to do with it, until I decide to discard it because we had no room for the next box's contents.

Thankfully, my mom introduced me to the bread bag.  I finally realized that Tuesday nights were going to be kitchen nights for me.  I HAVE to clean and store everything properly.  I use these great little storage bags to house all of the lettuces, leeks, anything leafy that could wilt or get droopy.  I also found a great lettuce keeper box at TJ Maxx that works great.  I do reuse the bags.  I make sure to dry them out and then reuse them the next week.  These bags have prolonged the life of our vegetables!  See the Treviso Radicchio?  Last April, that bundle would not have stood a chance.  Now, I have big plans for a radicchio gratin...  If it turns out I will post an update!

I am proud (and humbled) that we are finally using all that comes in our box.  It took me a while to get a routine going and figure out what to do with all the variety.  Now that I have it down, we are trying new things and at least David and I like most everything!

Bringing Up Bebe

Bringing Up Bèbè: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting

 
Written by an American journalist living in Paris, Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting by Pamela Druckerman sheds light on how the French are raising their children. Obviously there are comparisons between Americans and French parenting styles, and let’s be honest, there are so many different parenting styles it is hard to group just one style as American. But I digress….

I loved this book. I learned a lot, not only about French parenting but also about French culture. The author does not begin the book praising the French, but illustrates how she grows and learns from her experiences in France. The best part is that Druckerman does not simply say, “French children sleep through the night typically by 4 months,” and leave it at that. She has meat behind her claims – proof in the pudding, even a method to such madness. Those clever French moms institute “the Pause” and “the Wait” from a very early age (weeks old!) to teach their children patience, to self soothe, and that the world does not revolve around them.

One more digression: As a mother of preemies, instituting the pause was not part of my agenda. I was told to feed those babies as much as possible, and that at nine months my oldest could start to cry it out. Doctor’s orders! So, take all of this as you will. It would not have worked for my boys, but I hope to try “the Pause” with my third. And you can bet that I am instituting “the wait” when my children demand things from me. Patience is a virtue!

Another thought that I had as I read this book is how the French government has a wonderful system in place to help mother’s go back to work. Read about it. I won’t spoil.

My final thought is about food. Of course a French book has food in it. Interestingly, the French are not big on breastfeeding, as we are often pushed towards here in the states. There are fascinating reasons why. Here, as a whole, we push BF and then what happens when our kids get to school? It feels like there are doughnuts and cupcakes because it is Tuesday, or that an oreo is a great snack to fuel the day. The food children are being fed in their schools in France is fabulous. I may be a stickler on this stuff, but to be honest, I want to be the one who can give my kids a piece of cake or a cookie, and not wonder, if is this the 5th treat they’ve had today?

If you are in the market for an interesting parenting book that is still readable and enjoyable (not the cure to narcolepsy), I recommend. Let me know if you like it too!

Welcome to Eat, Play, and Love Your ATH Off

Welcome to Eat, Play, and Love Your ATH Off. My family moved to Athens, Georgia in 2012 and quickly fell in love with the city and the wonderful people here. Life is sweet and simple. I love our community, I love the Dawgs (and the Gators), I love all that life has to offer us. I hope that these snippets of our life here enrich your life too!