What We Eat

I love cooking. I especially love cooking for my friends and family, and though I am still a newbie, I am passionate about growing as much food at possible here at the homestead. With this lack of knowledge, mainly in underestimating the amount of produce each plant will yield, I have become overrun by my garden's bounty this summer. While we use our fruits and veggies as host/hostess gifts or thank-yous, we still seem to have too much, all the time. The thought of a wasted zucchini or beet riddles me with guilt, so we have been pawning off our goods on anyone who will take them--even if the food ends up spoiling at the hands of our friends and family, I won't have to witness it, so it's ok!

We moved in last December, an awkward time for planting stuff, but I figured since our growing climate is ideal for anything, it would be fine to plant whatever I wanted. So now I have: zucchini, butterstick squash (yellow zucchini), summer squash, 50 ridiculous pumpkins, watermelon, cucumber, leeks, kale, broccoli, red leaf lettuce, carrots, beets, tomatoes, bell peppers, mint, cilantro, chives, and chard--and that's just in our planters! We also have a huge macadamia tree, peach, valencia orange, grapefruit, lime, lemon, and fig tree-yikes! Needless to say, it's a part-time job just making sure everything is watered and harvested from.

Speaking of water...lately I've been debating whether the garden is really worth it, mainly because it has caused a significant hike in our water bill. It's important to me that we eat organic, slow-grown foods, and I've always just assumed that growing your own saves money, but now I'm not so sure about that theory. I'm not going to do the math, but it might actually be cheaper to just buy organic produce at the farmer's market or store. That being said, I really just can't bring myself to spend $7.99 a pound for bell peppers, are you kidding me?

For now, the garden stays. Back to the food.

Since I've had the summer off, I've been making an effort to make as many home-cooked meals as possible. I also try to include at least one thing from our own garden in every meal. Since we are bringing in new fruits and veggies from the yard every day, I've been trying to put things together in new ways to avoid redundancy. Last week I came up with a couple off-the-cuff recipe gems, and I want to blog about them so I don't forget how they happened.

Here's the first one:

Usually for lunch, Marlowe and I eat something quick and lite, but last week I was feeling a little more adventurous so I took a walk outside and looked for some inspiration. I returned with two zucchini (one green, one yellow), a pile of kale, and a baby leek. I had just bought some fluffy flatbread and decided to make some kind of tapenade-ish thing to accompany it.

I diced up the aforementioned garden veggies, and added some mushrooms and half a yellow onion. Then I sauteed it all with some garlic and olive oil for about, oh, 7 minutes?

Next, I dumped the cooked veggies into a mixing bowl, slopped on 2-3 tablespoons of plain hummus, and mixed it all together

Then, I toasted the flatbread, garnished with raw spinach, applied a quick dusting of salt n' pepa, and macked down (cooking while hungry is a no-go).

And here's Marlowe's version of this meal:

She even ate one nibble off a spinach leaf, which was a huge victory.

The Jig is Up

Alright Summer, we had our time. Marlowe and I really enjoyed waking up at 9 a.m. and doing this or that or nothing until Elgin returned from his day, but honestly, I'm ready to get back to work tomorrow. I feel, actually, I know for a fact, that I am able to get WAY more accomplished when I am on a schedule and I am ready to be productive!

While I wait for my entry into graduate school (this topic will be a post unto itself), I am working at an elementary school as an Instructional Aide in a Special Day class. Last year it was with 3rd-5th graders, this year it will be at a new school with the little guys n' gals- 1st and 2nd grade. I'm ready for the new experiences and challenges, meeting new people at the new school site, and most of all I'm ready to get paid again.

Although the late Notorious BIG once rapped so eloquently, 'Mo money, mo problems,' in the case of our family right now, I'd have to dispute this claim, as we will be welcoming my paycheck back with open arms (full summers off come at a price!). Since I work part-time, I don't make that much, but it's enough to make a noticeable impact when the supply is cut off. Anyway, the point is, we've spent the summer exploring more budget friendly activities to do as a family.

Like today for instance. We woke up and were sitting around in the living room deciding whether to be lazy or go find something to do. We had almost reached the point of no return- you know, where you've been talking about what to do for so long, can't make a decision, and then consequently end up doing nothing at all (and feeling like crap because of it). Finally at the last second, we decided that we'd take a drive up to Palomar Mountain and find a trail to hike- neither of us (or Marlowe) had ever been up to the top, and it's only about 1 hour away so we gathered our junk and hit the road.

It was a really nice drive and the roads were pretty vacant, save for the gangs of motorcycles and their riders that appeared out of nowhere every once in awhile. Once we made it to the top, we paid $8 to enter the State Park and stopped at the picnic area to carboload.

Marlowe, her cheese, and her hiking get-up.

We were still finding ourselves to be a little indecisive, this time regarding which trail to hike, so we finally hopped back in the car and drove a few more miles into the park to check out different trailheads.

When we realized that Scott's Cabin was ridiculously steep the entire way, we settled on Thunder Spring, which took us right by Doane Pond anyway.

An impatient MJ.

The Pond.

Sketchy Bridge.

We coerced her into the hiking backpack when the terrain got less kid-friendly.

El found a walking stick/weapon to ward off mountain lions (we didn't see any)

This tree didn't fall on us.

Just a little bit further...

We made it!

Not so impressive, this Thunder Creek.

We hate jumping photos. But we also love them.

Heading back.

We thought she'd be passed out in that backpack, but MJ didn't miss a beat!

So all in all, we spent $8 today and I'd have to say it was worth it. Although work starts tomorrow, and I'm up way later than I wanted to be, I'm so ready for the routine. And besides, we still have tons of late-afternoon beach sessions ahead of us to keep our 'summer' going a little bit longer.

A Tribute to Liza Minnelli

If you don't know already, you're about to learn right now that we have chickens. We also have two dogs (Juniper and Lillian), and a baboon/monster/baby wolf named Marlowe, but this post is about our flock, well, one of the girls in particular.

Here's a little backstory...

About a year ago, El and I started to get more serious about our fantasy of finding a place to live that more suited our lifestyle, or what we wanted our lifestyle to become. This meant moving from tract home-suburbia to country-suburbia. It also meant moving 10 (more) minutes away from my precious beach, so now it takes us 15 minutes to get to the Pacific. I know, I'm a baby. I told Elgin that if we were going 'country' we needed to go all out and find a place that had at least 1 acre, with a chicken coop.

Boy did he deliver. Here's the coop. (Sorry about the picture size).

It couldn't have been more perfect, and the weather-worn red paint...FABULOUS! I put together an overstuffed succulent planting and placed a re-purposed chair on the other side of the threshold to add some color and make it look more inviting, after all, it is someone's (or somesix's) home.

Just as soon as we did our research and prepared the coop, we headed over to the local feed store to pick out our birdies! We decided to ease ourselves into chicken-ownership, so we started with two (Polly and Chicky). A week later we went back to Country Feed for a bale of straw, and came home with two more (Thing 1 and Thing 2). A few months went by, and then one day on a routine post-work feed pick-up, I found myself wandering back to the hen pens. I knew it was a bad idea to even look, and before I had the chance to think like a logical/rational person, two more of the prettiest hens you've ever seen (Bock Bock and Nelly) were being corralled and boxed up by my friend Mike. Yes, I knew the employees by name at this point.

Fast forward about 2 months, and we have the sexiest flock of chickens this side of Alta Vista Drive. They're: fully-integrated (the last two had to live apart from the group for a few weeks while the older gals got used to the idea of adding more sister-wives), vehement egg-producers, and best of all-child friendly. In fact, we've learned that chickens make GREAT pets. They let Marlowe approach them, chase them, squeal at them, and are very forgiving when she handles them as a typical almost-2-year-old would, that is to say: lovingly rough. MJ has decided that the strength of her chicken hugs directly correlates with how much she loves them, which is a lot.

Back to the point.

We love our girls. All of them- human, feathered, and furry alike. Some more than others; there is definitely a hierarchy of love: obviously Marlowe is first, but coming in close second is Nelly, and everyone else is next, no one is last...well, Lilly is on my s-list right now, but that's neither here nor there.

This is Nelly when we brought her home:

It's a little hard to see in this photo, but her feet are completely covered in long, fluffy feathers, giving the sensational illusion that she is wearing black leather chaps, which is obviously why I had to have her. Nelly is actually a nickname, given by Marlowe, who couldn't pronounce the full name: Liza Minnelli. There was no other option when it came to naming the girl, this chicken IS Liza Minnelli: huge, innocent doe-like brown eyes, over-the-top costuming, an endearing 'cluck,' and a sweet, sweet temperament (I don't know the human counterpart personally, but I assume as much). Nelly quickly became everyone's favorite; at first because of her hilarious 'outfit' and then because she loved to be held, carried around, or perched on a shoulder (or head).

Here's where the story gets a little weird.

About a week ago, we were perplexed when we started to hear strange noises coming from the coop at odd, yet seemingly scheduled hours of the day, like sunrise and sunset, everyday. It was the unmistakeable, obnoxious, cringe-inducing crow of, yes, a rooster. Someone in that coop was a BOY! But who? And how would we discover the culprit? Every time we are heard approaching the coop, the chickens get quiet. We needed to plan a sneak attack, which just meant that when we heard the crow I would advance from the side and crouch down below the coop's front window before opening the door. We sure fooled those chickens! Ha...not really, but we did discover the she-he, and of course, it had to be Liza Minnelli, the littlest, sweetest, non-roostery-est one of them all.

When we really thought about it, all signs pointed to rooster. We felt like idiots because just a few days before, we had been talking about how Nelly, the runt of the group, was finally starting to stick up for herself and move her cute little chap-clad booty to a higher position on the pecking order. So naive. What was going on in the real-world was this: Nelly was going through puberty, and taking control of her, I mean his, flock. Picking small fights, flapping her/his wings, and herding the hens around the yard like a feathered Napolean Bonaparte is all textbook rooster behavior.

Now, what to do?

We decided on: nothing. We liked the prospect of having a rooster, and LOVED the irony of our rooster being named Liza Minnelli. But, we are also moderately considerate people, so we agreed that we would keep Nelly only until we received a complaint from a neighbor, specifically the neighbor next door who would be the only one with a legitimate argument. Well, Nelly's residence lasted about 5 more days, when we received the dreaded call from Old Man Jack.

I was a LOT more devastated than I thought I'd be, mostly because I knew how much Marlowe loves Nelly and because I worried about what her (he will always be a she to me) life would be like without her flock, and without us. Would her new owners save meal scraps for her? Would they indulge her in her passion that was perching on a human head? What would her new flock be like? And what about her new coop? There's no way it could be nearly as shabby-chic as ours. So many uncertainties.

There was really only one thing I could be certain about, and that was: Country Feed Store has a really good return policy. I could bring Nelly back, where she would live in a clean coop, with some nice new chickens, while she waited to go to her new home. Well, the decision had been made, so when Elgin got home from work that day (this past Tuesday), I made him snap some farewell photos of Nelly:

Fancy Girl (Boy).

The chaps in action.

Sharing one last shoulder perch together. Nelly had (some) inside privileges.

Elgin even went in for the farewell pet (I don't think I mentioned that he's terrified of the chickens...he says he 'appreciates them from afar.')

I couldn't believe my eyes when this happened a few seconds later. Nelly was so awesome that even ELGIN held her. Tear.

We debated over whether we should let Marlowe give Nelly one last hug, but she was napping at the time, the feed store was closing soon, and for Nelly's own safety we decided it was best to just get it over with. And then, as I was putting Nelly in her cardboard transportation box and taping it for the car ride, I knew it would have been too traumatic a scene for Marlowe to witness. She's only seen chickens come OUT of the box, never the other way around, and Nelly was clearly stressed. I know she's just a chicken (he's just a rooster), but it really was a sad moment for me and I let myself shed a few small tears as I picked up the box and headed through the gate to the garage.

When I arrived at Country Feed, my trusty amigo was there to assist. Even though I go to the store on the same days, usually around the same times, I like to think that Mike was there for a reason this past Tuesday (his reason for being there had nothing to do with his work schedule, it HAD to be much more profound, right?). After all, he was the one who had helped me the day I brought her home. All joking aside, I explained the situation, retrieved Nelly and her box from the car, and followed Mike back to the coops to send her off once and for all.

Her, I mean his, set-up is pretty sweet, with a much more manageable (2 young hens instead of 5 old broads) and proportional flock to monitor (Nelly is no longer the smallest of the group, but the largest!)-I finally felt good about our decision.

So then, as I turned and began to walk back to the car, I passed a coop and peeped this little fella...

And after Mike ASSURED me that, yes, this girl was DEFINITELY, FOR SURE a girl, well, now we're back to 6 chickens!

Introductions

It's been a solid year now that I've been including, "start family blog" on my weekly to-do list, and it's the only task I just can't seem to get myself to accomplish- well, that and "go to gym (regularly)." I follow so many blogs that I love, and though I have SO much to learn about this medium, I realized tonight after putting this thing together that my procrastination is much more deep-rooted than I originally thought. I came up with a list of the three main reasons why I have been putting this off, and I am publishing these reasons as a way of (hopefully) keeping myself accountable and current:

1. I am intimidated because I know what's out there.

Fan, patron, supporter, semi-stalker. Call it what you will, but I have so many friends from everywhere who are staying connected through blogging and it's been a great way to keep in touch. Not to mention, these people are incredibly creative and interesting! Seeing those blogs has led me to discover others who write/photo journal about topics that I love, and that can be pretty overwhelming. There are so many good ideas and sources of inspiration out there that I can't help but feel a teeny bit discouraged that I might pale in comparison.

2. I've psyched myself out about the technical skill required to make this thing.

This excuse is quickly losing its strength, as I'm discovering how easy it actually is.

3. I'm terrified of the commitment and my ability to follow through.

This project is for Marlowe (and any other kids we might parent). I just know myself and:

a) I have the tendency to fully immerse myself in a project in the beginning, then lose steam as life happens, and ultimately let it fizzle out completely.

b) I am always finding myself in situations where I don't have my camera or phone ready to capture what is going on, and that really bums me out.

But, I resolve to persevere! I will not let Marlowe down.

The problem with baby books, or even scrapbooks for that matter, is that there is only so much room to store photos and commentary, so you only end up putting in the most "important stuff" like birthdays and the first day of school. To me, that is unacceptable. Why is a quiet night at home reading books or a family walk around the neighborhood less worthy of being remembered and looked back fondly upon? It's the mundane events, the everyday stuff that's easiest to lose sight of, or even forget, that I want to remember most. Don't worry though, there will definitely be birthday posts here too.

Anyway, back to the introductions...

Photo credit: Priscilla Gragg

This is us. He's Elgin. I'm Kiffen. And together we made...

Marlowe.

She's actually about to turn 2, but I couldn't resist with the finger-snapping photo, taken at 7 months of age. Seriously, look at that sass!

Here's what she looks like these days:

Don't be fooled, the sass is still there. Only now it's accompanied by an Amelie-inspired A-line haircut and THE most hilarious ongoing monologue!

I've got to admit, it feels good to finally get this thing fired up, and best of all...I get to cross 'start family blog' off my to-do list! Or maybe I should just cross off 'start' and replace it with 'maintain.'