2 Bowls?!

I got a new mixer this year (long story) and I really love it. It's just a bigger version of my old one, but it's shiny and red.

For my birthday, two of my friends bought me a second bowl for the mixer.

My dad's comment? "If anyone needs two bowls for a mixer, it's you."

Truthfully, I wasn't totally sure that anyone needed two bowls. Then again....when you need 2, nothing else will do!

So I got my hands on the library's copy of the Smitten Kitchen cookbook (which I'm now planning to buy, by the way). It was beautiful. Even more beautiful than her blog, if that's possible. (My only complaint? Many of the recipes are on multiple pages -- this recipe that I'm about to talk about had the ingredients on one page and the instructions on the next, so I was constantly going back and forth. I *might* have made the library's copy a tiny bit sticky....)

Inside the cookbook was a recipe for Gooey Cinnamon Squares.

Put the word "gooey" and "cinnamon" together and I'm totally sold.

Once I read the somewhat fiddly recipe, I was less excited but I decided this was a perfect opportunity to try out my second bowl for the mixer.

They were delicious, although not as pretty as the ones in the cookbook.

Recipe, slightly adapted:

Cookie Base

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder (instead of the cream of tartar and soda)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup milk

 

Gooey Layer (it just *sounds* delicious)
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar (225g - this is a good place to use your kitchen scale)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Topping

2 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Line the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch cake pan with parchment, allowing the ends to hang over at least 2 inches. Coat pan and parchment with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Make the cookie base: Stir together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2 min. Add the egg and milk and beat until combined. Stir in flour mixture until just incorporated. Spread dough into an even layer in the prepared pan; set aside. (This was tricky, I used my fingers)
3. Make the gooey layer: Whisk together the corn syrup, milk, and vanilla in a bowl and set aside. In an electric mixer (second bowl but you could probably just wipe out the first bowl) cream butter, 1 cup sugar and salt until fluffy. Add the egg and beat until combined. Add the flour and corn syrup mixture by thirds, mixing each time until all ingredients are incorporated. Dollop over the cookie base and spread into an even layer. (Less tricky than the first spread!)
4. Mix together 2 tbsp sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over the gooey layer. Bake until edges have set and center is still gooey, 35 min. Let cool completely, about 3 hr. Lift from pan using the parchment; cut into 1-inch squares. Can be kept covered at room temperature for 3 days...bwah ha ha. If they last that long. And just *TRY* not to eat them warm. I dare you.

Yum.

Do You Have a Favorite Tree?

The holiday of Tu BiShvat is coming, so obviously, I've got trees on the brain.

Today as I drove to work, the trees were coated in a gorgeous shiny shellacking of ice. It's almost as beautiful as a coating of snow. They glittered in the sunlight.

Yesterday, I was at a gathering in which I was asked for my favorite tree. Only one creative soul in the group had a favorite, and it was her NEW favorite. Meaning that she previously had an OLD favorite tree.

Both were pretty cool.

She likes this one (the OLD favorite)

Image from National Geographic

and this one (the NEW favorite):

Image from Wikipedia

I was impressed.
Do I have a favorite tree?

I like the trees in the fall when they change color. I love the different kinds of leaves and the way that they become different colors - some are supremely red, shockingly bright. Some have different colors as they blow in the wind, and they ripple with beauty. Some are silvery or purple-hued.

I love a good weeping willow - so grand and majestic, yet somehow sad because of their name.

I tell stories about apple trees a lot, it seems, and they are so friendly with their branches heavy with fruit. In the summer, I love to sit under any nice cool shady tree and peek at the blue sky above. I dream of perfect birch trees in which to perch my children and take their perfect photos.

But even though all sorts of trees are nice, I think it is in the darkest dark of coldest cold winter that I start to dream about this kind of tree:

Image from Wikipedia

Do you have a favorite tree?

2013: Opening Thoughts

Some updates, some thoughts, some future-thinking...

First things first:
Things are going well in Cancerland.
Sam rang the bell to signify the official "end of treatment" and we are breathing a little easier.

In other, unrelated news:

There's a new trend in "new year's resolutions" - choosing one word to inspire the upcoming year.

I like it. Because, like Calvin, I'm in no need of repair:

Ha.
Right.

So I've given this a lot of thought over the last few weeks. See how it's taken me until the 10th day of the year to even write the post?

I've decided that my One Word for 2013 is going to be COURAGE.

It's not that I want to banish fear from my life, since courage is often associated with fearlessness. On the contrary. I think that true courage is embracing the fear, holding on tightly to it, and running with it. The word courageous is bandied about to refer to people who do amazing things - but often even they themselves will say that they were filled with fear during those moments of courage.

But they kept going.

And since it seemed a little too complex to use "Not-Paralyzed-By-Fear-of-Unknown/Change/New/Different/Hard" - I figured I could shorten it up to COURAGE.

So what am I going to do with all that courage?
Hmm. That's a good question. I often feel that I get stuck in a routine, that I work on something that "works" and so I don't want to change it. I know that I look for new ideas, new plans, new projects ... but many of them get lost in words like busy, tired, overwhelmed....and I think that a lot of that is really just a list of secret names for fear. So I'm hoping to use my One Word to push back against those words that I use, and peel them back...and find some new courage.

There might be some new projects, and there might not. There might be some new ideas, and there might not. Maybe "new" is just a mask for fear of continuing with things the way they are. So maybe it works both ways.

Whatever it is - I'm hoping that this One Word will guide me. I might update you on what's going on with it. I might not. I'm still not sure how it will play out...and I think I'm okay with that uncertainty. I do tend to be fearful of not-knowing....so today's moment of courage is living in this uncertainty of what might be.

So as we jump into 2013 with both feet...what's your word?

Books I Read in 2012

Every year I post a book list. (Well, every year since 2008.)

Want to read those posts? Good lists.... 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011.

Unlike incredibly motivated people who set themselves a particular goal for how many books to read, I just...read. But keeping track of the books has become one of my favorite things to do! And it does motivate me to see how many I can read in one year. In 2010, I hit my highest number (since I've been keeping track) when I read 100 books. But I haven't quite hit that since. I'm giggling as I read back over the previous years' posts. Each year I say that I'm really not about the quantity...but I am! I get such a little thrill when I add another book to the list.

Things were a little different this year. I didn't read as much as I usually do...I was distracted.

I've been cramming at the end of the year - reading like crazy! The librarians had forgotten what I looked like but now I'm back to my usual borrowing habits.

1. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
2. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
3. The Always War by Margaret Petersen Haddix
4. The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
5. Reality is Broken by Jane McGonigal
6. Tempest by Julie Cross
7. When She Woke by Hillary Jordan
8. Fire by Kristin Cashore
9. Wither by Lauren DeStefano
10. Blackout by Connie Willis
11. All Clear by Connie Willis
12. Linchpin by Seth Godin
13. The Art of Non-Conformity by Christ Guillebeau
14. Home Front by Kristin Hannah
15. Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card
16. The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
17. Alice's Piano by Melissa Muller
18. The Shape of Desire by Sharon Shinn
19. Tomorrow's Synagogue Today by Hayim Herring
20. Where Justice Dwells by Jill Jacobs
21. I am Forbidden by Anouk Markovits
22. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
23. My Russian Grandmother and her American Vacuum Cleaner by Meir Shalev
24. Bloom by Kelle Hampton
25. The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott
26. House of Velvet and Glass by Katherine Howe
27. 97 Orchard by Jane Ziegelman
28. Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman
29. An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff
30. Fallen Angel by Daniel Silva
31. Next Year in Israel by Sarah Bridgeton
32. The Books of Rachel by Joel Gross
33. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
34. Summerland by Ellin Hilderbrand
35. History of a Pleasure-Seeker by Richard Mason
36. Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott
37. Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
38. Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson
39. Lord of Mountains by S.M. Stirling
40. Sown in Tears by Beverly Magid
41. Midwife of Venice by Roberta Rich
42. The Timekeeper by Mitch Albom
43. The Next Best Thing by Jennifer Weiner
44. The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
45. Every Day by David Levithan
46. A World Away by Nancy Grossman
47. Fire in the Ashes by Jonathan Kozol
48. Sipping from the Nile by Jean Naggar
49. Road to Valor by Aili and Andres McConnor
50. Hot Mamalah by Lisa Klug
51. Whispers in Autumn by Tricia Leigh
52. The Last Song by Eva Weisman
53. Arcadia by Lauren Groff
54. The Lawgiver by Herman Wouk
55. A Yellow Raft on Blue Water by Michael Dorris
56. Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
57. The Giving Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini
58. Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
59. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

So what did I like best?
Hmm. I loved Gone Girl. I know it was one of those controversial-love-it-or-hate-it books but I was in the "love it" camp. When She Woke was a great one, and so was The Dovekeepers and The Night Circus. I've recommended Arcadia, and I also have suggested that people read Unorthodox and I Am Forbidden (I actually think they complement each other nicely). The newest Wouk book about Moses (actually about a film about Moses, but let's not be picky) was fabulous, and I can't say enough amazing things about Brene Brown's writing and Kelle Hampton's photography & words. I'm so bummed that I was not a fan of J.K. Rowling's new-and-so-not-Harry-Potter book because I really wanted to be. (I was pleased to slip in an Elm Creek Quilt book at the end of the year - I do love those!) But I did enjoy almost all the books on this list!

And what am I going to read next? I have a whole list. Plus I have other people's lists and it never seems to end. There's always a great book just around the corner waiting for me. But most of the time I just read whatever comes my way...what do you think I should read?

My dad with Yael a few years ago....READING!

P.S. This whole keeping track of what I read thing has inspired my dad. Okay, that's not quite the right word. It challenged him....to beat me! (Which, by the way, he did.) Not totally sure about the fairness of the fight but luckily he is my dad and so it's a friendly competition!

P.P.S. If you want to follow along with what I'm reading, I update on the right-hand sidebar of this blog, and I also have a Goodreads account but I'm not quite as good about updating that.

{36 Reasons} Cute Teeth

 I totally imagined that this project would be all about ME and doing new things for these days leading up to my birthday.

Instead, I seem to have had a lot of firsts with my kiddos.

Like Solly's first trip to the dentist, which was so adorable it almost doesn't need any words:

Blessed are You, O God, Ruler of the World, who creates milestones for our children, who gives us the energy to revel in the milestones, and who has brought me to this day.

{36 Reasons} Family Rules

Have you ever seen these beautiful "family rules" canvases and prints?
I am always adding this to my "to do" list. Maybe I'll make one out of a quilt. Maybe I'll do some decoupage. Maybe I'll buy one....one of the reasons I haven't done it yet is that I can't quite decide exactly what rules I want on the list. And do I discuss with the family? Do we all decide what rules to choose? Frankly, I have been paralyzed with indecision.

Yesterday, I reframed some pictures and I had one frame left that was originally set up to have 3 4x6 pictures in it. I suddenly realized that I didn't need to use the mat that had been included with the frame, and I could just use the frame in its whole. Silly me.

So I began to muse on what to put in the frame, and this is what I created:

It's 10x20 - a very odd shape.

I made it so simply - I used Picasa (which I love) to add the text on a blank picture, and had the three pictures (the text, and the two family shots) printed zip-zip at Walgreens. Voila! And because it was simple, inexpensive, and just get-it-done, I didn't worry too much about the choice of words. I picked the ones that seemed right today. And that's all I can ask for.

Blessed are You, our God, Ruler of the World, who has given us creative energy and skill, who has caused inspiration to strike, and who has brought me to this day.

{36 Reasons} Goals Delayed

On the wall in my kitchen hang triptychs of my children eating cake at their first birthdays. It started with just the one, of course, and then as each one turned one...a new set of cake pictures. They love these pictures. They love to talk about who has the messiest cake, who seems to be enjoying it the most, and, for the last year, when will Solly's pictures be added!?

I did have a goal to get it up there before Solly turned 2. Admirable, right?

I bought a frame.
I printed the pictures.

It all sat and waited. About a week before Solly turned 2, I went to put it all together and then I realized that the frames on the wall had 4x6 pictures, but the new frame was 5x7. (oh, and the pictures I had printed? Yep, 4x6.) Arrrrgggghhhhhh.

So the 2-year-old goal? Missed it.

But only by a little bit. Eleven days to be exact.

Because today was the day.

I could NOT find a matching frame to the ones I had, so I ended up reframing them all.

And they look gorgeous.

Yes, in my kitchen also hang all the fun school things like handwriting charts, Spanish letter sounds, and number grids.

(Now I'm waiting to see who will notice...)

Blessed are You, O God, who gives us family traditions to work with and through, and who sometimes makes us try harder than we imagined we would need to, and who has brought me to this day.