Time is so relative: two weeks with a newborn? A nanosecond. Two weeks pregnant with twins? Molasses.

Still, the end of summer is a sweet combination of distractions – soaking in the last of beach days and pool days and the anticipation of a new school year just around the corner. There is never a day where I don’t wake up, look around, and see plenty to do. And then I realize I can only do 12% of it. But for me, distraction has been the key to passing time while I feel so huge.

I have to give so much credit to my kids – we have had a great summer, and they have been so understanding and excited about this pregnancy. I worry that I brush them off when I am needing to sit down/go to the bathroom/carrying something heavy. I always try to follow up with a check in and say, ‘I’m sorry, my belly really hurt when I was carrying that’ or ‘I really needed to sit down for a minute when you wanted my attention’. I have been very consciously putting them first these last few weeks, and holding off on all my ideas for writing & blogging until they go back to school next week. (Currently as I write this they are having a much needed movie morning after a busy weekend. Scooby-Doo for the win.) Also, my son has been a huge help in carrying and moving things for me, a fact I realized when he started his intense two week conditioning for football last week and was so sore I couldn’t bare to ask him to help me. Super proud of him.

As any preggo mom knows, the key to the answer ‘how are you feeling?’ depends on how she is sleeping. For the most part I am sleeping really well. I am so tired I hit the pillow like a ton of bricks. Needing to go to the bathroom wakes me up once or twice but I can go back to sleep right away. (I definitely remember pregnancy insomnia with my other pregnancies, when going to the bathroom would wake me up, then I would need to eat, and wound up scrolling through People.com with yogurt and a banana, but not this time. I need to sleep.) On the few nights that I have had less then 7 hours of sleep though I have felt every pain, every step more acutely. And I know sleep deprivation is right around the corner, but I am a one day at a time girl and trying not to let it scare me. At least I will have cute babies to hold – plus oxytocin hormones and wine – when it comes.

My glucose test at 28 weeks came back great, but my iron was low, so they started me on iron supplements. I do feel a little more energy, and I have an easier time breathing with those. So yay for being able to eat bread, feel better, and breathe after walking up the stairs.

One symptom of this pregnancy that I haven’t recorded yet is allergies. Constantly having to sneeze, blow my nose, itch my nose, is a kind of torture I have never properly understood until now. I will never again be lukewarm towards an allergy sufferer. It is the bane of this pregnancy, along with super-human pelvic pain. Also, how weird is it that you can suddenly get allergies when you are pregnant? Lots of things to offer it up for, of course, but had to list it here in case someone else is feeling incredulous about pregnancy-onset allergies too.

The babies are moving a lot, which is the best. I am getting an ultrasound tomorrow, which always rewires my attitude and reminds me of the bigger reality going on: my belly is getting huge because of huge babies! Last time they were almost at 3 lbs. so looking forward to hearing what they are tomorrow.

At my last check up with my OB I actually lost 4 lbs. My total weight gain was about 35, now back down to 30. I have plenty of weeks left to change that I am sure but this is the only pregnancy I have gone in the opposite direction after the first trimester. Of course, I have been spending my days cleaning, taking kids to sports, visiting family members in the hospital after minor surgeries (but that is a lot of walking! Every time I get back to my car  when I leave the hospital I am like, ouch!). The day before my 30 week checkup I had gone to the beach, taken kids to sports and gone to the mall for 2 hours with my 9 year old for special time back to school shopping. I could *barely* move walking out of the mall, and had lots of Braxton-Hicks that night. My OB heard this and said, “Don’t do that!” She said my body doesn’t know there are 2 babies in there and thinks I am 36 weeks pregnant, so I need to take it easier. Duly noted. I forced myself to rest yesterday before we met friends at the pool.

^^Pool braids before we had an amazing dinner with two other families last night.

This will be helped greatly when our au pair arrives on Friday. Louise is coming from Brazil and we hope to learn so much from her. We don’t have that much family that can help us besides my mother-in-law, and my husband travels quite a bit for work, so it is a great relief to my husband and to me to have an extra set of hands, to be here if I go early or have a c-section. Rob and I have so much peace of mind about what the end of this pregnancy will bring knowing that there will be someone here to cover home base in an emergency.

This week is getting ready for her and for school, finding ways to rest in between. And maybe one or two more beach days.

 

Also – the news about Down syndrome being ‘eliminated’ in Iceland was horrifying to read. We are still prepared that one of our son’s has Down syndrome. I posted on Facebook about it after I shared this mom’s post. It is so wise, I am pasting it here:

I’ve been reading and thinking a lot this week trying to find the words. Friends and strangers have written from the heart and it had been shared widely. I feel like I have a bit of a different audience with a significant amount of Ds family on my page. So, in light of singing to the choir, I’ll say this….
Deciding to have and raise kids is hard work. Period. Whether my child has 46 or 47 chromosomes is rarely the reason for the challenges.
I didn’t think about not having my child after getting a likely prenatal diagnosis, but I have thought about it since. When the stories flood the media every few months and the hatred towards anything not typical rages and the days feel much too long, those “what if” thoughts surface. I try to imagine what our life would look like without Owen and I really struggle to see it. It doesn’t feel right; it doesn’t feel complete.
I can never fully put myself into someone else’s shoes. I’ve heard too many awful experiences in the past 5 years. I know that parents want what is best for their children and if they are not given a full view of life with a child, they are truly being failed. The diagnosis system is not working.
This is all why we work so hard at Down Syndrome Diagnosis Network – DSDN. Along with other organizations, we know we can make a difference and help ensure every family has information and resources in hand along with a new or possible diagnosis.
Life is certainly not all rainbows and unicorns. But I make a conscious choice to work to see it each day in my life. Find the good, find the joy and keep moving forward. Make a moment better when you can. Give grace. Do better. In the whirlwind of these media storms, remember this. Make the conscious choice and choose your path and attitude and work towards it. Share information. Share resources. And, if you are comfortable, keep sharing about your life and family.
I believe our families have a brighter future ahead than any other generation before us because they have paved the way. Let’s honor all of their work and build upon it for those to come.

Note: I posted this salad awhile ago, but I am CRAVING it so hard, thanks to the lemon and the garlic and the crunchy and creamy textures. I have a bunch of friends coming into town this weekend and plan to make it.

This pregnancy has definitely cut into my regular food blogging routine – between exhaustion, summer heat, and really no room to have much of an appetite, I have been taking a break from recipe creation, and just living off of avocado toast, sandwiches, and simple salad dinners. I have been writing in the food memoir quite a bit, and rest assured my love for food and food blogging is as strong as ever. I am just letting this season be what it is, and look forward to the fall when my stomach becomes my own again. I know cooking with babies is hard but there is something about the post-natal period that makes me love being in the kitchen. In the meantime, I plan to keep giving updates about the twins here, with some food love sprinkled in, so feel free to check in here as there is always something to share.

Happy Eating! xoxo Katie

I could write a big post that is just an ode to the summer salad. We’ve been growing fresh romain and red leaf lettuce in our back yard, and I’ve been making big batches of this homemade Panara Greek Dressing.

But this salad is AH-mazing. Get ready for a flavor blast of lemon, garlic, and feta along with a texture explosion of crunchy radishes and nuts, creamy avocado, and meaty shrimp. You can make this for a party, or you can make it for yourself and halve the recipe. Either way, you’re going to wanna make it. Because its amazing.

I think I was laying by a pool while my kids swam when I dreamed it up. Most likely it was the lingering effects of Tamara Adler and her urge that a salad have something crunchy, creamy, acidic, and oily. Plus I totally crave shrimp in the summer for some reason – it cooks so fast so the kitchen doesn’t get hot and the lighter protein is my jam.  If your people don’t love shrimp you can totally substitute two cubed chicken breasts. 

I was having lunch with my mom and sister the next day, and had a bottle of my favorite Sancerre and wanted to bring something to go with it.

The garlick-y lemony dressing, and the crunch, not to mention how pretty it is, made us so happy.

I used some of the flavors from the dressing to marinate the shrimp. (A garlic spicy kick on shrimp makes me swoon). I made a marinade from the juice from 1 lemon, 1/2 olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes and salt and pepper. I put the raw shrimp in a zip lock bag with this and let it sit for a half hour. (You can do longer).

I started the dressing right after since it is very similar, and the longer the garlic hangs out with the lemon the more flavorful it will be so you want to give it some time to mingle. Combine lemon juice, Dijon mustard, minced shallot, 1 small grated (or minced) garlic clove. Let it hang. Go listen to some music. 

When you are ready to start the salad, put some sliced almonds (or whole almonds or another favorite nut) in a pan and toast them. For some reason, I feel compelled to toast nuts in my cast iron skillet. It heats them so evenly.

Here is where you can choose your own adventure: I kept feeling like couscous would be a great texture to this salad. But when I assembled it, it looked too pretty to add it! So I served it in a bowl with a bed of couscous underneath and it was amazing. So experiment! Maybe put it under the arugula in a big bowl if you were taking it to a party. Or leave it out. The couscous does such a great job of soaking up the yummy dressing so it is a thumbs up, but the salad is great on its own too.

While everything is marinating and toasting and couscous is (optionally) fluffing up, start slicing your radishes. I can’t get enough radishes these days, so in they went. And I wanted a creamy element, so in went avocados too.

This dish comes together fast, because although there are a lot of steps you can do them at the same time. The only thing that this salad requires one you get past cooking the shrimp is assembly. Yay for some easiness.

Whether you are headed to a big Labor Day bash, or some relaxed get togethers with friends and family, delight everyone and make this. (But even if you eat it at home with Netflix, it’s still pretty great.)

You will thank me when you make this! I promise.

Happy Eating, xoxo Katie

Lemon Garlic Shrimp Salad with Radishes and Arugula (Printer Version Here):

For the Marinaded Shrimp:

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon minced shallot

1 small garlic clove, finely grated

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ cup olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

½ lb. raw shrimp, peeled

For the Salad:

2 cups arugula, thinly sliced

1 avocado, sliced lengthwise

1 cup radishes, sliced

½ cup toasted almonds

½ cup crumbled feta (I used low fat)

For the Dressing:

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon minced shallot

1 small garlic clove, finely grated

2 teaspoons chopped parsely

½ teaspoon salt, pinch of black ground pepper

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

If shrimp is frozen, soak in warm water until it is thawed (about 5-10 minutes.) Peel and removed tails. Mix marinade ingredients together, then pour over peeled raw shrimp in a ziplock bag. Let sit in fridge for 30 minutes-4 hours.

Start the dressing by mixing all the ingredients except the olive oil. Let sit to allow flavors to blend.

If serving with couscous, prepare according to package directions.

Toast almonds by pouring into skillet or pan, shaking to evenly distribute in one even layer in pan so they toast evenly. Checking for doneness every few minutes (set a timer if needed) shaking pan to toss and redistribute nuts. Repeat as necessary until toasted. (Note: you can tell when they are done by noticing when there is a toasted nut smell, but the timer is more reliable, which is helpful since they burn easily). Remove from heat when done and let rest until use.

When shrimp is done marinating, heat large pan on medium-high heat. Pour shrimp in pan, give one small sprinkle of salt and pepper, turning after cooking 1-2 minutes or when pink. Let cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side, then transfer to a plate to cool.

Meanwhile, place arugula in large bowl. Slice radishes and scatter around the top. Slice avocado, squeezing with lemon juice to prevent browning, then lay on top of salad. Scatter evenly the feta, nuts, and shrimp around top.

When read to eat, pour dressing evenly over top. Serve immediately.

I can’t believe it is already the 4th of July!

I haven’t had my usual rhythm of recipe developing, cooking, and snapping picks of recipes between my book coming out (thank you, thank you for all the messages about buying one or receiving one in the mail, such a joy that there are so many people reading it this summer!), this pregnancy fatigue, kids home from school that I am just drinking in, and my desire to eat nothing but watermelon, cherries, and good bread with good cheese. (Not a bad summer menu at all). So in these slow, lovely days, I thought I would share with you a few of the things I am loving right now.

We are up north at our condo in the White Mountains, but before we left we headed to the beach with friends and watched the fireworks. Now we are jumping in rivers (the kids not me) catching up on reading and blogging (me not the kids) and will head to beautiful Echo Lake here in North Conway for swimming and picnicking later today. And I brought up corn for dinner, so hoping to turn it into this:

This Mexican Street Corn was made my by sister last weekend and it is the best thing I have put in my mouth. Leftovers should be cut off the cob and mixed with the creamy sauce made from crème fraîche, lime juice, and seasoning, which is how I first had street corn at a Mexican restaurant, served in a bowl, lavishly dolloped onto the tacos I was eating. I can’t adequately express how much I dream of a bowl of this with all those smoky, creamy, citrus salty flavors. You can find the recipe she used by Tyler Florence at The Food Network here.

1. Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton –

I am spending our vacation week reading this memoir about the Chef of Prune restaurant in NYC and her Souther Roots. A chef friend of mine recommended it to me (and the next book below). On top of being an amazing chef (you can catch her on The Mind of a Chef Season 4) she is a phenomenal writer to boot. There is something about the allure of southern food that is so fascinating, but this one transcends even that into a universal food experience. From the description on Amazon: “The constant thread running through this patchwork tale, which culminates with the opening of her New York City restaurant, Prune, is Hamilton’s slow simmering passion for cooking and the comfort it can bring.” Amen, sister.

2. Since I am on a Southern kick, I am also reading slowly this huge book, Deep Run Roots by Vivian Howard:

This book, which I have just started to get into, is epic, a masterpiece filled with stories of Deep Run, an area in Eastern North Carolina. It is part memoir, part cookbook, and the recipes are organized by ingredient and dish type. Her recipes are seriously the most interesting combos, so inventive, and it is driven by her use of things grown around her. Her restaurant Chef and the Farmer opened because her family told her that if she would come back to her home in Kingston, North Carolina, they would buy her a restaurant, and she has since put her hometown on the culinary map. You can also find her on TV, on PBS series A Chef’s Life.  It is so interesting to see how she treats the south the way foodies treat regions in France or Italy, with the local ingredients prized and cherished. No matter that their local ingredients are pork, shrimp, corn, blueberries, and peaches.  A far cry from truffles and wine and olive oil. But her recipes include Blueberry BBQ Pork,  Cheesy Grit Fritters (yes, please), and Charred Spring Vegetables with Creamy Scallion Dressing and Hushpuppy Croutons (I have to make this: stay tuned as it might be worthy of its own blog post).

With sections titled ‘An Ode To Seasoning Meat’ and ‘How to Can in a Hot Water Bath’, Howard is my favorite kind of cook: the kind who shares all her secrets, like you are cooking right next to her. She is all heart and passion and obsession, and no pretense.

3. These sandals from Target:

I can’t even tell you how much I love these! They are so so comfortable – my pregnant self might have walked around StoryLand, an amusement park up here in the mountains, for 4 hours yesterday and they were a dream. (I then had to take a 2 hour nap, but that is not the sandals fault).

4. Watermelon Everything.

(photo from The Minimalist Baker)

I keep telling friends that my cravings of things I am missing this pregnancy are tied for a margarita and a nice, long run. But I can have lots of watermelon, so I am eating my fill. I am sharing this recipe for a Watermelon Margarita from the Minimalist Baker as it only has 3 ingredients (watermelon, lime juice, tequila) because I can have it if I make it with only the first 2 ingredients. Yay.

5. Salmon Everything.

(photo from Gimme Some Oven)

These babies have been craving good fats (like salmon and avocado) and really averse to bad fats (like french fries). Good job, babies. The sweet and smoky combo of Honey and Grainy Mustard is my favorite way to prepare it and this recipe from Gimme Some Oven is super easy and quick.

6. Avocado Everything:

I love it with just salt and good olive oil on it, but this Caprese Breakfast Toast is a combo of my summer favorites. So many light flavors, so little time.

7. If you have any corn that doesn’t get snatched up by your Mexican Street Corn obsession, this Corn, Tomato and Basil salad is my most favorite summer recipe to have in the fridge.

(photo from davidlebovitz.com)

David Leibovitz’s has long been one of my favorite food writers (his book My Paris Kitchen and The Sweet Life of Paris  and food blog are classics, and he is so much fun to follow on Instagram). But even though he has lived in Paris for so long and has a background in baking and patisserie, this all-American salad is one of my favorite recipes of his.

Ok, I’m off to pack up a picnic for the lake. Happy 4th, hope you are enjoying beautiful blue skies and lots of friends and family. Happy Eating!

xoxo, Katie

This season you can find Blood Oranges in the grocery stores, and if you have ever wondered what to do with them (besides juice them and turn them into sangria or buy some of the packaged fizzy blood orange drinks and also turn them into sangria) this salad will help you out. They are segmented for the salad and used in the dressing, and their unique flavor just permeates this salad. But even if they weren’t in season I would still be craving them since I can’t seem to get enough fruit, especially citrus. (I may have eaten 2 of these salads in a row and then ate a grapefruit.)

They taste like sweet oranges, and have a gorgeous jewel color:

I love the combination of citrus fruit, goat cheese, (or blue or feta) crunchy nuts and vinegary dressing. So think of this as a template, and feel free to swap the blood orange for grapefruit or oranges, and use your favorite cheese and nuts. I used Marcona Almonds with Rosemary from Trader Joes, but I am guessing that ingredient is going to be pretty hard to find elsewhere. But I have to say, there rosemary was a really good note in this salad. So feel free to mix plain Marconas with some of this herb to eat alone or add to salad.

The dressing is really easy. Once you get the hang of making vinaigrettes, it suddenly feels so freeing and the possibilities seem endless. Basics are a 3:1 ratio oil to acid, but I actually prefer mine a little lighter and usually keep it 2:1. But the official stance on vinaigrettes is 3:1. If you want a little ‘tutorial’ I just found this post  ‘7 Tips for Making the Perfect Vinaigrette’  that is really helpful, I highly recommend looking it over if you are curious about making your own salad dressing.

I used both blood orange and red wine vinegar here, Dijion, salt and pepper are a must, since you are usually trying to season a lot of veggies and salt brings out all the other flavors. And I found that often times when my vinaigrette needed something it was usually a little sweetness to counter-balance the acidity, and a little Agave syrup or sugar does the trick.

This is such a great first course to a dinner party, or to make a big salad for a party. But it is also great for lunch for 1 or 2, and I have kept the recipe to serve 2. Don’t wait for an invitation to make this – it is too good!

 

Happy Eating, xoxo Katie

Blood Orange Salad (printer version here): 

Ingredients for Dressing:

Juice from 1 blood orange (2 T)

1 T red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Dijon

1 tsp. agave syrup

S&P

1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Ingredients for 2 Salad Servings:

2 blood orange segmented

4 c. Mixed Greens

2 oz goat cheese

1/2 cup Marcona almonds

Directions:

Whisk all ingredients together for dressing, saving oil for the last. Stream oil in, whisking as it is added. Taste with a piece of lettuce to check for seasonings, adding more in needed.

Assemble salad with greens on the bottom. Add dressing just before serving.

 

 

It is pretty hard to pin down how grateful I am right now. I am so grateful my book will be out in a few weeks! (You can preorder a signed copy here from the publisher. It should be available on Amazon in about 2 weeks.) SO grateful for my growing family. Words can’t even touch the dreams and feelings I have for our crew. SO grateful I can eat again!

And so, so grateful for YOU. My super steady and reliable food blog readers.  You guys are the best, and I want to show you my gratitude with a GIVEAWAY. 

I had been thinking about doing a round-up of the newest cookbooks that are lighting my creative fires in a big way now that I can eat again. People who can inspire others about food are the Magic Makers, and they make me dream big. Even if it is just about flavored crème fraîche (so simple – just add lemon or herbs or capers to it!) and horseradish gremolata. Then I thought, why not share the love? So for this giveaway, I am going to pick ONE reader randomly who leaves a comment here and I will send them the book of their choice from this list. 

Ok, here we go:

Small Victories – 

This book has been sitting in my Amazon Cart for months. I have stared at every page and couldn’t wait until I could cook again to try it, and I am happy to report it is on its way. But I mostly love it because of her attitude. I always think cooking is about small victories (I cooked the beef just right! I learned how to make gravy! I have mastered salad dressing!). Encouraging people to think of it in this way makes my heart sing, since it is all about baby steps and learning, no matter what level you are at in the kitchen.

Taste & Technique –

 

 

Ok, this book is for those of you who are looking for something new. You have dinner down pat, you have your family get together favorites. What you are looking for is basically a cooking class for yourself or your loved ones to elevate the nights you are cooking at home with some time, just for pleasure. Enter this book – the techniques are EASY. A sampling of the titles of her ‘sauces’ – Walnut-Parsley Pistou, Tomato Confiture (can’t WAIT to make this with fried polenta), Hazelnut Romanesco, Horseradish Gremolata (sounds fancy, but it has FIVE ingredients). Ok, I just scanned the book again and learned she is a James Beard Award Winning Chef as of 2014. So she knows her stuff. Lucky for us she translates it to the home cook. So inspired here.

French Country Cooking –

 

If you have been a long-time blog reader, you know about my total nerd fandom going on for Mimi Thorrisson. When her new cookbook came out, French Country Cooking, it was SO sad because I couldn’t even look at it, and couldn’t read her blog, Manger, because of food aversion for the last few months. So now it’s time, as spring is bringing new herbs and vegetables to be treasured, to check out her new cookbook. She has a dream life in the idyllic French countryside, with lots of children and dogs and wine, but I contend that this is all because she herself is a dreamer. Her writing style on her food blog has a dream-like quality, and her love of seasons and seasonal cooking shows in every photo, every bowl of onions that to her are as “beautiful as a bouquet of flowers” (I concur).  She inspires me to dream, and I hope you get inspired too.

Dinner A Love Story – 

If there was one book I wish I wrote it is this one. (Ditto for her follow up to this, How To Celebrate Everything). These two books sum up pretty much everything I feel about food, and a few people on Instagram have been raving about how her dinners are totally kid-friendly and doable. I am going back to her book to rediscover my love of cooking dinner ever night. It was sorely missed by all (except for my daughter that likes to eat pasta every night. She was pretty happy).

 

Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom –

As I was looking for other cookbooks that light my fire, I kept hitting against the reality that I don’t love having a ton of cookbooks, with 60 different recipes for specific types of pancakes or gratins or cobblers. I LOVE (and hope to steer other people to this) knowing a master recipe, or technique, or basic dough recipe (seriously, this book has a bread dough recipe you can turn into French Bread, Pizza Dough, a Loaf or Hard Rolls).  Once you have the basics at your fingertips, letting the flavors of the seasons – apples or asparagus or blackberries – sing in whatever master recipe you know. This eliminates the need for owning a million cookbooks, and it makes cooking a whole lot more fun and creative. Which led me back to this cookbook by Julia. I know I have mentioned this book before, but it really is the one I go to so often. It empowers me, is super simple (and short! It is one of my thinest cookbooks), and most importantly everything is delicious. Her quotes on the back of my copy says it all:

“Once you have mastered a technique, you hardly need look at a recipe again.”                                                                                       

Ok, leave your comment if you would like me to send you one of these beauties. And thanks again, from the bottom of my heart, for every kind word you’ve left on here or Facebook or IG, and for sharing the spark of friendship and the love of good food.

Happy Eating, xoxo Katie