August up in smoke

{This post has been in my draft folder for a few weeks. I've started it, forgotten about it, re-read it, added to it, debated deleting it... but now that August is over, I'm hitting send... and looking forward to getting back on track in September.}  

August was going to be awesome. The kids and I were going to be in Idaho for almost a month. A whole month. After a school year and summer where I felt like I was a little mouse on one of those whirling circle things (better visual than frazzled mom in Volvo SUV, no?), I couldn't wait to just relax. In Idaho, I slow down. We all slow down. Our primary mode of transportation is by bike. We eat almost every meal outside. My parents dote on my kids. 

 In Idaho, my kids build stick forts. 

They could spend a whole day just building a stick fort. 

Heck, in Idaho, I might even unplug and help build a stick fort. 

At home, in Fairfield County, CT, I carefully "curate" (fancy word for plan out, week by week, often times as early as April, since everything here books up) a summer I think of as so balanced. Some inside camps, some outside camps, some creative camps, some sporty camps...and this means that I basically spend my entire summer driving to the morning day camps (usually in different towns, with the same start times, just to make sure I'm on my A-game) and then collapse briefly during the 1 hour they overlap in afternoon tennis clinics and golf lessons, dreading the fact that I still have to make dinner.

Summer is action-packed and F-U-N (all caps) for them. 
Totally crappy for me.

I will fully admit: I am not a very fun mom in June/July. I am a chauffeur on auto-pilot, who is often hot, sweaty, and tired.

Which is why, I really couldn't wait to get to Idaho.  Maybe because we don't live there-- we just excitedly visit for more and more weeks each summer-- I don't feel the need to have every day so scheduled. Maybe it's because despite the pressures I feel in Fairfield County to have my kids "doing something" and "good at something", I know deep down that they'd be just as happy building stick forts... so I go hide out in Idaho and let them do that. Of course I ogled various day camp offerings in Idaho, and I did sign the kids up for a week of woodworking / wilderness survival camp. (Old habits are hard to break...) But the rest of our weeks were to be unplanned. The mountains, trails, river, lakes and bike paths would be ours... whenever we decided to get dressed and start our days.

My kids spent post-camp afternoons whittling on my parents' patio. 

They made up elaborate board games well before the rest of us were awake.

They held art sales... to raise enough money to ride their bikes to the candy store. 

We spent afternoons reading outside. And at the end of a relaxing day, I didn't mind making dinners. In fact, I looked forward to it. 

Then, on one of our afternoon bike rides, we noticed the smoke from a forest fire off in the distance. 

And each day, the skies started to get smokier and smokier. 

I was out one evening, helping my little one master hand brakes (ok, truth be told, I was chasing him down the road, beer in hand, willing him to slow down before I had to actually catch up to him) and I looked up. There is this beautiful sight when smoke meets sunset. Beautiful in an awful way. "Please don't let these forest fires be close", I thought.

But they were close, and they were bad. We spent most of that second week inside, windows closed, everyone willing the fires to slow down. Board games offered limited distraction. Hundreds of "hot shot" firefighters were brought in. Events important to the town's economy and spirit were cancelled. People started leaving town because the air was so bad. Then they started evacuating whole neighborhoods.  

Neighborhood streets we biked down just days before were like chimneys. Everyone was sad and worried. We begrudgingly packed our suitcases up.   

We left in the wee hours, driving past flames you could clearly see. A scary and sad end to what was supposed to be an awesome month.

This was what our fridge looked like the night we flew home... I joked with my husband that really, he can't be serious that that's what it's stocked with... but two weeks later, I will fully admit that I've barely cooked/restocked it with our normal bevvy of fruits, veggies and ready-to-sit-down-to-a-family-dinner-meals. I feel porky from eating out so much. Scratch that, I am porky from eating out so much. I am totally off-track when it comes to healthful eating / dealing / being ready for a new school year. The blog's been quiet because, well, I've been in a total funk that what was supposed to be this relaxing, awesome August went up in flames, both literally and figuratively. And while I fully appreciate that this is a very "high class problem" to have,

still, I miss the August that was going to be so awesome. 

But, thankfully, Fall-- my favorite season-- is around the corner, and I am determined to get back on track as a busy mom, wife and friend. You all can come along for the ride, if you'd like. I'd love the company.

favorite summer salad: chopped panzanella

Is anyone else trying to squeeze the most out of the last days of summer?

I'll miss these long, lazy days. To capture the freshness and bright flavors of August, I have a fabulous new recipe to share with all of you. I originally wrote this recipe up for our local market, to take advantage of the local tomatoes that are plentiful this month. Hopefully tomatoes are widely available in your local farmer's or supermarkets too! This recipe is really easy, and perfect if you're hosting a crowd.

I made this recipe a few weeks ago, when we were in CT. It only requires a few ingredients (tomatoes, mozzarella, crostini or bread, English cukes, a red onion... and then the dressing is made with basil, lemon zest/juice garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper).

When I made the same salad out here in Idaho (where we are visiting my parents), the ingredients were similar. Really, the only thing missing were the store-made crostini I can get at home at our local market. Instead I bought a loaf of good hearty local bread, cubed it, and left it out overnight so it would dry out. Oh, and the supermarket here didn't have English cukes, but they did have small Persian ones, so I used those. And, you'll see that huge bags of basil are available out here, so I made extra dressing, which I frozen as a taste of summer later this fall. The dressing is so, so good!!

The most recent time I made it, we had the salad alongside some grilled bison and grilled peppers here in Idaho.

Then, we enjoyed the leftovers the next two days, as post-hike lunches. In case you are wondering, my one son loved the salad, my other one picked the mozzarella and tomatoes out. Hey, you win some, you lose some....

Here's a link to the recipe, and here it is in pics so you can see how easy it is to assemble  this fabulous salad that makes a delicious side, or is hearty enough to be a summer entree!

Start by chopped up tomatoes and mozzarella. Some markets have teeny-tiny mozzarella balls, and you could use those too.

Then add chopped cucumbers.

Next comes either crostini that you crumble into bite-sized pieces (a good activity for kids) or cubes of dried (or toasted) bread.

Then chopped onions and capers.

I assemble the salad to this point, then let it sit until just before I am serving it, because I like my bread to still have heft. That said, we enjoyed the salad as leftovers, and the bread soaks up the dressing. It's wonderful either way, it really just depends upon your tastes!

So, right before serving it I drizzled it with the dressing. Then toss.

And voila! Again, here's a link to the recipe that I wrote up for Walter Stewart's Market. Hope you all enjoy this salad as much as my family does-- or that 3/4 of us do.

baked potato bar

After another absolutely fabulous week at HF Bar in WY, I'm now in ID with our children, getting some quality grandparent + mountain time in before the new school year.

When not riding our bikes on the extensive bike paths, to the market, or to our favorite ice cream stand,

we're out hiking, playing in the river,

reading under the aspens and pines,

or my kids are putting their newfound whittling skills from woodworking and primitive wilderness camp to work.

I've gotten a little lazy in the cooking department, since it is vacation after all... but last night I made a baked potato bar that the kids loved. We're at a funny stage right now-- no, actually, not so funny when you're the mom trying to make sure that your children are nourished and eating enough. Play trumps eating any day with these two. Unlike me, they never get ravenous, no matter how active they may be. But the baked potato bar is one of those meals that I know gets them happily trotting to the dinner table. I'm not sure if it's the make-your-own aspect, or if they just like all the decadent toppings? Either way, this is one of my current go-tos.

Baked potatoes are so simple: wash them off, prick them with a fork, roll them in a bit of olive oil, then into a 350 oven for 1 hour they go. Topping choices included: butter, Greek yogurt, sour cream, crisp local bacon, steamed broccoli, scallions, mushrooms and red onion sauteed in balsamic and a little olive oil, shredded cheddar, hot sauce...and I put out steamed green beans for the kids to munch on while I was getting the toppings laid out. At home, I do a similar make-your-own gig, but offer up some of my go-to turkey chili as a topping. (Freezing it in small containers makes it easy to thaw just the right amount.)

Do you have a meal like this-- something that's easy, that your family loves? A meal that can compete with Legos, drawing, reading and whittling?...

go West young men.... and enjoy your mama's baked (not fried) fritters before you go

We made it to WY! After a completely hellacious day of travel (you can't make this stuff up: not one but two broken planes...four airports...connections missed...lost luggage...and a generous wrangler willing to come fetch us at our final (rerouted) destination late, late, late at night-- or was it morning?), waking up on an electric blanket this morning to the sound of the creek racing by our cabin window was sheer bliss. We were back at HF Bar.

My kids had their boots and hats on by 6am, and were reacquainting themselves with all of the memories of last summer. (And yes, the (infamous, chick magnet) leather vest was fetched from the dress-up trunk before we departed CT.)

After a breakfast hearty enough for a cowboy, we headed off on what will be our horses for the week, and my heart swelled as my 6-year-old confidently maneuvered an animal several times his size, and my two boys chattered away confidently, even though they hadn't been up on horses since last summer on the ranch.  

We took in vistas, so magnificent and calming.

Then, of course, my kids got back to their normal brotherly antics. Some end better than others.

There is no wifi here, except in a little corner of the long covered porch. So, I don't think I'll be touching base again this week. Instead, I've got a pile of books I can't wait to delve into.*

But,  don't you worry. I won't leave you empty handed when it comes to a quick and easy cooking project for the week. Before I left CT, I shared a fabulous recipe with Walter Stewart's Market that you really must check out (click here for the recipe) if:
a) you're long on zucchini;
b) you're looking for another veggie recipe your whole family will enjoy; or
c) you want to start cooking ahead before you hit the ground running with a new school year.

Here's the recipe in pics, and a few notes. First, to shred large quantities of veggies, I use the shredder attachment on my Cuisinart, though you could always do it by hand if you'd like.

Placing the veggies in a colander

and pressing them with a few paper towels will help remove excess liquid.

Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty...

that's the best way to make sure the ingredients are well-combined. This time, I made the fritters using gluten-free flour (Bob's Red Mill brand) because I get a lot of questions about whether a recipe of mine will work if friends make it gluten-free. Totally worked. Delicious. Couldn't tell the difference.

As far as size goes, you can make the fritters any size. Big, small, up to you. Sometimes I make them appetizer size, but this time I made big ones-- perfect to pass to the backseat as an afternoon snack.

Another quick note: I tried baking this batch two ways, on a rimmed baking sheet drizzled with olive oil (pictured above) and without oil on parchment paper. Both ways worked perfectly, but you don't get the crispy outer edge if you go the parchment route. For the ones I was planning to give to the kids, I went the parchment route-- less mess. (As if that really matters, given the nasty state of my backseat...)

I listed a bunch of toppings on the recipe over on our local market, Walter Stewart's website. On the ones pictured above, I simply mixed Greek yogurt with sriracha (in ratios to get to the flavor I wanted). Later in the week, I simply drizzled them with hot sauce. And one day I gave the kids ones (quickly heated about 10 minutes, straight from the freezer) for breakfast, topping with maple syrup. Any way you top these, they're a delicious recipes, and one of my favorite summer make-ahead ones. Hope you all like them as much as we do! If you have any questions about the ingredients or method, just leave me a comment below. I'll happily get back to you after our week at the ranch!

* P.S. If you're looking for your next great read, here are some that I've recently enjoyed... and here's what I look forward to reading. August is always a big reading month for me, as I switch from chauffeur mode to vacation mode. And for those of you will 10ish-year-olds, I've also kept a running list of books my older son has read and enjoyed, and ones he's checked out of the library or added to his wish list. Like the blog, these Pinterest pages started out as a way of trading ideas with friends... and the rest is history.

getting my groove back

Well, this is embarrassing. You'd think I'd be checking in, after my few week break from blogging, feeling all relaxed and svelte. Nope. See, even though I took a few weeks to dial things back and prioritize spending quality time with my family, that was only half of what I needed to do to feel swell. I know the food part is important. Of course, I know this. Sometimes {achem} it just takes takes my shorts getting snug to remind me that I need to pay attention to what I am eating. Either I can admit that, or I can give the dryer stink eye... even if the dryer settings haven't changed in the past month.

So, what happened? Well, let's see... I started the summer off with too many balls in the air, and between (the craziness of) day camp shuttling and lots of afternoon activities, the heat of the summer (which makes this CA girl absolutely wilt), a few work projects, the bevvy of normal home/mom responsibilities, and seemingly 'no time' to shop, we ate out too many nights. Don't get me wrong, eating out is fun. I love it.

As a family, we frequent local Mexican, Indian, Korean, Thai and Japanese places that whip up meals different than those I make at home. The problem with eating out is that you don't really know what the ingredients are in your meals... and then there's the cocktail (or two...) that always seems a part of a meal out. And while the notion of having someone else cook/serve/clean up is hugely appealing to me as a busy mom, it's time that I take my own advice so I don't feel like a sausage stuffed in casing come August.   

I am determined to get back on track, but this is going to take a little more organization/planning than I'm used to, if I am going to keep all the balls in the air, be present for my family, and take care of myself. I have a wealth of amazingly delicious-- and simple-- recipes here on the blog, in my head, and filed away in notebooks. My goal is to create a simple program for myself so I can easily stay on track. As I muddle through this 'return to swell', I am taking copious notes. If it works, I look forward to sharing my plan, recipes and tips with all of you! How does that sound? Have you gotten yourself in a similar rut this summer? Leave me a comment and let me know your biggest stumbling block to eating well when you're super busy. I'd love to hear I'm not alone... and please do share any tips you may have for getting back on track! Together we can do this!!