Happy?, Thanksgiving

In a year where I have had just about every possible high and low, I'm having mixed emotions about Thanksgiving.  I've struggled this year, and as much as I hate to admit defeat, sometimes I feel defeated.  If I've learned anything in the past twelve months it is that life is truly unpredictable, and just when you think you have it all figured out the shit hits the fan (pardon my poor language).  I've also learned that in order to stay sane you MUST find the good in every situation.

So, even though it has been the hardest year of my life, I'm thankful.

Even though my husband's business closed, I'm thankful that gave us the opportunity to move to Mobile.

Even though it took eleven months and three real estate agents, I'm thankful that our house in Birmingham sold.

Even though he was a stinky pest sometimes, I'm thankful that Jason had such a wonderful companion in Rupert.  He could not have had a better match for a dog.

Even though I feel lonely sometimes, I'm thankful for the dear friends (old and new) who have been there for me these past few months.

Even though I don't participate in our congregation as much as I should/wish I did/plan to, I'm thankful for a Rabbi who puts his own feelings and emotions on hold and stops everything to be by my side when I need him.

Even though our new work schedules don't allow for much time spent together, I'm thankful for a husband who is the best father I know.

Even though the "terrible two's" make an occasional appearance, I'm thankful for a well behaved toddler who is, 95% of the time, easy to parent.

Even though we lived out of boxes and suitcases for three months, I'm thankful for the time that we lived with my parents.  I'm thankful that Hannah saw her Papa every day, and that Jason spent evenings relaxing on the patio with my dad.

Even though I felt lost at my new job, I'm thankful that I got to sit next to my dad and watch him in his element.  He loved that store, too much sometimes, but I'm so thankful he knew that one of his children was going to be working in his business.

Even though it meant having to step foot into a hospital that I REALLY didn't want to go back to, I'm thankful for the incredible level of care I received at Mobile Infirmary.  Everyone, and I mean everyone, went out of their way to make me comfortable, which resulted in an easy delivery and, thank God, a healthy, beautiful baby girl.

Even though she'll never get to meet him, I'm thankful that Mae Michael will carry on the legacy of my dad by bearing his name.

Even though we don't get to see each other as often as we'd like, I'm thankful for a large extended family whose love and support we could not manage to survive without.

Even though they are far geographically, I'm thankful to have siblings who are so close.  You are my best friends.  You make me laugh (mostly at my own expense), you make me mad sometimes, but you GET me, and I don't have to be anyone but me with I'm with you.  Most importantly, you hold my hand and help me to stand strong when it could be so easy to just collapse.

Even though it seems like she keeps getting knocked down, I'm thankful to have a mom who stands back up every time.  I don't know what I would do without you.  You always know what to say and what to do, and although it is hard to admit, you are always right.  You are my sounding board, my shoulder to lean on, my shopping buddy, my date for events, my babysitter, the person I vent to, my biggest critic, and my biggest fan.  You are brave and smart, and I pray that I can be the kind of mother to my children that you have been to us.

And, even though I'm sleep deprived, scatterbrained, and sometimes feeling overwhelmed, I'm most thankful for these two:

You girls are the reason I get out of bed in the morning.  You are the light in this otherwise dark time.  I love watching you grow.  I can't believe you are mine, and I'm so thankful to be your momma.

The big green monster.

I'm talking about jealousy in case you didn't know.

I was going to write a post about jealously until I looked up the definition on dictionary.com.  According to them, jealousy is resentment against a rival, a person enjoying success or advantage, or against another's success or advantage itself.  They told me that I might be confusing it with envy, so I clicked further.  Their definition of envy is a feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard to another's advantages, successes, posessions, etc.  This is more like it... I'm not feeling resentment, just covetousness (seriously, that is a word).

So, now I'm talking about envy.  I know it's a sin, thou shall not covet thy neighbor, and all.  But does it count if I envy my two year old?  I mean, she is half me, right?

But seriously, this kid has it made.  Not just for the obvious reasons... but I'll tell you those, too.  She is independent, too smart for her own good, and she has the best hair.  That's right, I said it.  Her hair is amazing.  It is shiny and soft, and it dries straight with just a little bit of curl at the bottom.  And, coming from a curly girl who has struggled her entire life to get hair like her's, that is definitely something to envy!

The real reasons I envy her?  She is going to grow up in a world where being different is not just accepted, it is encouraged.  I don't know exactly what or when this change happened in our society, but watching Glee the other night made realize how huge it really is.  The characters on this show are all very different, and they are celebrated for their differences.  The "high school drama" show that was on when I was growing up?  90210.  There ain't nothin' to celebrate about those characters (dont' get me wrong, I love me some 90210, I just don't want my child to grow up to be a Brenda, Donna, or Kelly.)  I do want my child to grow up to be proud of who she is, whatever that may be.

She can aspire to be President of our country and it not just be a silly dream.  Although there are some crazy women in politics right now, there are some pretty great ones, too.  And I'm certain, by the time she is old enough to understand we will have/have had a female president.

She won't have to "go" green... things like recycling, buying local and conserving energy will be her norm.  It's funny how things slowly creep down south.  My cousins in Connecticut have been recycling for ages and we just thought they were crazy/cruncy northerners (no offense ya'll).  There is still not citywide recycling here, but we are moving in that direction, and we do have curbside pick up for paper in our neighborhood.  I love that buying local is the "cool" thing to do now, too, and not just because I work for one.  Helping the local economy is so important, especially for making this place a greater place to live for our children.

I know my kids will have opportunities that I didn't.  I just hope that I can be the kind of parent that finds the right lesson in everything that they do.

And, here are some pictures of my crazy two year old since I know that is what you are really here for!

What? It's already that time?

I heard my first Christmas song of the season today.  Call me Scrooge, but I'm not a fan of Christmas music.  It has nothing to do with the fact I don't celebrate Christmas.  I used to like the music.  But for the last few years it has become like fingernails on a chalkboard to me.  I don't know what changed it for me, but this time of year I tune into sports talk radio not just for the football talk.  I'm guaranteed no "White Christmas" or "Baby It's Cold Outside" (which would be my favorite if you put a gun to my head and made me choose one song that I liked).

Like it or not, hearing that first song of the season made me realize I need to get a move on things.  Hanukkah is ridiculously early this year (the week after Thanksgiving) and I am far from being ready.  So, I jumped on it.  In the past week I have decorated the house, purchased my Sally Foster gift wrap, bought a few gifts, and managed to get the whole family clean and dressed for a picture.

For the past several years I have relied on Shutterfly to help me with my holiday cards.  They have an awesome assortment, and will even address, stamp, and mail out the cards for me.  How easy is that?  I like that their cards aren't too Christmas-y, and they have a good variety of traditional and contemparary styles.  Last year I picked two different styles but used the same picture, so I was able to get Christmas and Hanukkah cards in the same place.

My favorite cards this year are this one (probably because those girls are just adorable!), this one (I love the idea of having a mini newsletter on the card), and this one (simple and sweet).  Now if our pictures will just turn out as cute as all of these!

And, you know what the best thing about Shutterfly is?  Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly… learn more: http://bit.ly/sfly2010 !  I guess I'll be sending out more cards than I did last year!  Thanks, Shutterfly!

Skillet Cornbread

I could not think of a better way to start off my new blog, "Cornbread and Kugel," than with recipes for my two title food items.

I must be honest.  When it comes to cornbread, that little blue box of Jiffy is about as far as I go.  It is easy, cheap, and dependable.  I've added corn, jalapenos, broccoli & cheese, you name it and it always comes out good.  But, for the sake of the blog I'll give you a recipe for something more difficult and substantial.

Skillet Cornbread
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening

Preheat oven to 450 F. In a bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, salt and baking powder and stir together. Measure the buttermilk and milk in a measuring cup and add the egg.  Stir together with a fork.  Add the baking soda to the milk mixture and stir.  Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients.  Stir with a fork until just combined.  Do not overstir. In a small bowl, melt 1/4 cup of the shortening in the microwave. Slowly add the melted shortening to the batter, stirring constantly until just combined. In an iron skillet over high heat, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons shortening.  Pour the batter into the hot skillet and spread to even out the surface.  Cook on the stovetop for 1 minute, then bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.  The edges should be crispy.  Variation: stir in 1 small can diced green chilies or 1 diced fresh jalapeno into the cornbread batter before pouring it into the skillet.

This recipe is poached from "The Pioneer Woman Cooks" by Ree Drummond.  If you have not yet found her blog stop reading this right now and click here, The Pioneer Woman.  This is, by far, my favorite blog to read.  She is hilarious, and a great cook/photographer.  I have tried a lot of her recipes and never been disappointed.  And, she kind of makes me want to home school my children... kind of... okay, not really, but maybe in another life.  If you click on the link in the name of the recipe you will see her step-by-step photos of how to make this cornbread.

Noodle Kugel

kugel [KOO-guhl] Traditionally served on the Jewish Sabbath, kugel is a baked pudding usually made with potatoes or noodles, though meat, vegetables and other ingredients are sometimes included.  It's generally served as a side dish, though a sweet version with raisins and spices is equally delicious as dessert.

Let me start by saying I don't pronounce it like the food dictionary says you are supposed to.  I call it KUH-guhl, not KOO-guhl.  And, I prefer the sweet version, but as a side dish not dessert.  Weird... kugel as dessert?  When would you eat the brownies then?  Again, poor representation of my cooking repertoire, but I've never actually made kugel.  We almost always have it on holidays, but not very often otherwise.  If your family is anything like mine, Moms and Aunts make all of the food and us kids just come and eat.  Some of you may argue that I am (a.) a mom, and (b.) pushing 30, so not so much of a kid anymore, but, until recently, I was also an out of towner, so I didn't have to contribute.  I'm sure that will change.  I hope it does.  I love cooking for other people.

This recipe for kugel came from a sisterhood cookbook.  I'm not sure if it is the recipe that my mom uses.  She's unavailable at the moment, so I couldn't get her exact recipe.  But, based on the ingredients, this one sounds most similar to the one I grew up loving.  I love how the measurements are all just estimates.  That makes me believe it is an old recipe that has been handed down. And, it says you can substitute low fat ingredients, so this one was the winner.

Sweet Dairy Kugel
1/2 - 1 stick butter or margarine
1 lb. medium noodles, cooked (for those who don't know, you use the egg noodles in the Jewish food section of the grocery store)
4 - 5 eggs or egg substitute, beaten
1 pt. sour cream
1 (24 oz.) carton creamed cottage cheese (ok, not sure what "creamed" cottage cheese is, but I'm sure just regular would be fine)
salt to taste
1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
raisins (I like a mix of regular and golden.  there was no measurement for this, so I would guess 1/2 - 1 cup)

Melt butter in 9 x 12 Pyrex dish.  Mix the rest of the ingredients together and add to dish.  Bake at 450 F for 15 minutes, then lower the oven to 300 F for 30 - 40 minutes.

And that is it.  Easy as pie; which, incidentally, is not that easy.

Our new home...

After a year long break from blogging I'm back... in a whole new place!  I decided that with all of the changes we have been through in the last year a change of internet address was a must.  So here we are.  Don't worry, there is a link to my old blog right over there, so you can still see the pictures of Hannah from the early days (they will be good for comparison purposes over the next few months).

So, let me explain the name of the blog.  I spent hours (in the middle of the night while feeding Mae Michael) trying to come up with something clever.  I even consulted a food dictionary; don't ask.  But, everything I came up with was taken.  I was trying to think of one food item that was both savory and sweet, which would be the perfect description of my life recently.  Nothing came to me.  Then I thought of "Cornbread and Caviar," which is kind of descriptive of life in Mobile, Alabama, except for one thing... I don't eat caviar.  I would if you served it to me, but I've probably only had it once or twice in my life, so it really wasn't an appropriate food to choose when describing MY life.

Cut to this morning and I'm cleaning out my fridge.  Is it just me, or do you have a hundred plastic containers in your fridge, each with less than a serving's amount of some random side dish in them, definitely not enough to actually eat, and they manage to stay there until you need that plastic container again?  Don't worry, I'm exaggerating.  But, I don't eat leftovers.  Jason promises he will, so I save them, but somehow things always get pushed to the back.  Anyway, this morning I was doing some shifting around to make room in the fridge and found the remains of a kugel we had sometime last week (which was delicious, by the way.  Thanks to the family who gave it to us; you know who you are!).  That's when it hit me, "Cornbread and Kugel."  Definitely describes my life, and maybe only in a way that makes sense to me, but I liked it and it is my blog.  So, there.  If you don't know what kugel is look it up in your food lover's dictionary.  Oh, you aren't crazy like me and you don't have a food lover's dictionary?  Well, then you'll have to just keep reading my blog.  I promise I will enlighten you.

What can you expect to find on this blog?  Mostly pictures of my babies, ramblings about what is going on with us, and the occasional recipe.  If that isn't your thing, well then I'm sorry... thanks for visiting.  If you like cute pictures of adorable (if I must say so myself) children, well then this will be a blog to add to your reader.  I promise, I will post much more often than I did with my last blog.  And, yes, I realize that one of my children is not pictured in the header photo.  In my defense, she wasn't around yet, and we haven't had family pictures taken since her arrival (on the calendar for next week).  I just love that picture, so I used it.  Here's a picture of both of my cuties to make up for it.

photo courtesy of uncle nonah