.TGIF.

Usually the cocktail of the week has a little story behind it as to why I have picked that particular cocktail recipe to share. This week however there's no story. I just really like a gin fizz now and again. If you've never had one go ahead and give it a try this weekend.

Ramos Gin Fizz
Ingredients:
Ice as needed
2 oz. gin
1 oz. heavy cream
3/4 oz. pasteurized egg white
1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
2 oz. soda water
2 dashes of orange blossom water
Orange slice for garnish

Directions:
In a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice, combine the gin, cream, egg white, lemon juice and lime juice and shake until well chilled, 45 to 60 seconds. Strain into an old-fashioned glass filled with fresh ice and top with the soda water and orange flower water. Garnish with an orange slice and serve immediately.

.18 month check-up.

Amelia had her 18 month check-up with her pediatrician today and it went really really well! The stats: she is 33.5 inches long {93rd percentile} but 21 pounds even {8th percentile} which basically means that she's the longest and skinniest person that you've ever met! She's on track to be 5'8" tall as an adult. Her weight is on the very low side but since it's perfectly on track with her growth curve {she has always always been very skinny} the doctor isn't too concerned. She says that we're doing everything right and that it's really just Amelia's build. Though we were encouraged to fatten her up. She's no longer allowed to have water because the doctor wants "every calorie to count". She's been burning more than she's taking in now that she's running around all of the time.
She had one shot {end of the hep A series} and didn't cry at all - instead she shook her fist at the nurse and yelled what has to be some kind of crude obscenity in toddler-ese. She also had a blood draw to check for anemia and her iron level came back very healthy {she gets a daily vitamin so I was expecting that}.
They also had us take surveys and such to check for autism or learning disabilities and she got one of the best scores that they have seen. She's apparently well ahead of the curve developmentally and socially. Phew!
We have her next check up in January {her 24 month} where she'll get yet another 2 shots {poor kids - no wonder most of them hate the doctor}.

.18 months.

Here is a sweet little video that I put together showing how much my darling has grown in the last 18 months. We realized this week that there's almost no "baby" left to her anymore...she's a kid now, a little kid but a kid nonetheless. Cue the tears. Here is the direct youtube link for the video.

.Munchkins.

Amelia had a playdate with Nora & Sebastian at Jamison Square yesterday and she had a blast! Nora is just 12 weeks younger than Amelia so it was a ton of fun watching the little girls play with each other. They're neither one very good with "sharing" or "personal boundaries" as of yet so there were a couple of toddler tantrums thrown by each but they are both super lovey so after tantrums there was snack time and kisses and both seemed to have forgotten their previous battles.
Poor Sebastian is only 6 months old so the whole "playing in water" thing was not to his liking. He did however, watch Amelia & Nora like a hawk the entire time...we're thinking he's plotting for next summer.
It was also a lot of fun to catch up with my friends Erin {Nora's mama} & Sayuri {Sebastian's mama}. Our next playdate is at either the Childrens Museum or OMSI...and yes, there will be photos to share with you.

Al dente.

Today was Amelia's second dental appointment with the a-mazing Dr. Pike from Dentistry for Children {her first one was January 12th}. Everything went really well! Her favorite activity as of late is brushing her teeth so getting a chance to show off her 13 pearly whites was quite a treat for Little Miss. Thanks to twice daily tooth brushing, fluoride supplements {Portland's water is not artificially fluoridated} and the fact that she has never ever in her life been given anything but milk or water to drink {no juices or sugary drinks of any kind or dilution} she has perfect teeth and it's looking to stay that way. Our next appointment is in January {two days before her birthday}.

.Music baby.

It's no surprise that our child likes music....a lot. We've been surrounding her with music since she was a fetus. She loves her music classes and when she hears music on the radio, Ipod, laptop, or television she drops everything and is enraptured. What else would you expect from someone who chose to enter the world a month early to share a birthday with Mozart?

Her current playlist of favorites includes:
Electric Feel by MGMT
Magic by Rabbit
Too Fake by Hockey {yay for local bands!}
That's Not My Name by the Ting Tings
1901 by Phoenix
Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand {old but great}
Number 1 by Goldfrapp

Turns out homegirl loves herself some indie-pop like none other. She's proof that if you live in Portland for any amount of time you become at least partial-hipster...I blame it on the lack of fluoride in our water :-)

.Recipes of the week.

Yes, that's right. Not "recipe" {singular} but recipes {plural}. It's been a warm sunny lovely weekend and is supposed to be the same this coming weekend but today-Wednesday it's supposed to be cooler with some summer showers. I'm actually totally fine with that. I love rain any time of year but a nice cleansing summer shower is very pleasing to me.
Also, it gives me a chance to indulge in some comfort food that the warm summer sun usually makes too unbearable to consume.
I love Polish food. It's delicious and so comforting to me. Im totally taking advantage of the temporary cool down to indulge and since it's been a while since I shared a savory recipe I thought I would make up for it with a whole meal of recipes. One of my very favorite places to stuff my face is Portland's Taste of Poland food cart which is a slice of heaven on Earth. These recipes aren't theirs {they aren't parting with their recipes} but they're all items from their menu and pretty darn good.
I know that most of the country is suffering in sweltering weather right now {suckas} so warm heavy food probably sounds super unappetizing - go ahead and save these and give them a try when your neck of the woods {or prairie, or desert, or whatever your climate happens to include} cools down!

Bitki {chicken meatballs}
Ingredients:
16oz ground chicken
2 eggs separated
3 tablespoons butter
7oz mushrooms, diced
1 1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
salt & pepper to taste
3 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a saute pan and cook mushrooms until soft & most of the juices have cooked off. Let mushrooms cool.

2. In a large bowl mix together chicken, egg yolks, bread crumbs, nutmeg, salt & pepper. Add to mushroom mixture.

3. Using a hand mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff. Stir half of the egg whites into the meat mixture. once incorporated fold in the other half of the egg whites.

4. With clean hands shape the meat into balls then dip into flour for a good coating.

5. Cook in frying pan over medium high heat {adjust as needed to keep oil hot but not smoking} until golden brown and cooked through {you may need to add more oil as you go - but not too much}.

Mizeria {Cucumber & sour cream "salad"}
Ingredients:
3 medium cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh dill

Directions:
1. Place cucumbers in a medium bowl & add salt. Mix lightly until salt adheres evenly to the cucumbers.

2. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.

3. Drain juice from limp cucumbers.

4. In a small bowl, combine the remainder of the ingredients.

5. Add to cucumbers, mixing gently.

6. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Pierogi {potato & cheese dumplings}
Ingredients:
Dough -
2 cups flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling dough
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup sour cream, plus extra to serve with the pierogi
1/4 cup butter, softened and cut into small pieces

Filling -
5 large red potatoes
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
6oz grated cheddar cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Finishing touch -
butter
1 thinly sliced onion

Directions:
Dough -
To prepare the pierogi dough, mix together the flour and salt. Beat the egg, then add all at once to the flour mixture. Add the 1/2 cup sour cream and the softened butter pieces and work until the dough loses most of its stickiness (about 5-7 minutes). You can use a food processor with a dough hook for this, but be careful not to overbeat. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes or overnight; the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Each batch of dough makes about 12-15 pierogies, depending on size.

Filling -
Peel and boil 5 large potatoes until soft. Red potatoes are especially good for this. While the potatoes are boiling, finely chop 1 large onion and saute in butter until soft and translucent. Mash the potatoes with the sauted onions and 4-8oz of grated cheddar cheese (depending on how cheesy you want your pierogies), adding salt and pepper to taste. Let cool then form into 1 inch balls.

To assemble -
Roll the pierogi dough on a floured board or countertop until 1/8" thick. Cut circles of dough (2" for small pierogies and 3-3 1/2" for large pierogies) with a cookie cutter or drinking glass. Place a small ball of filling (about a tablespoon) on each dough round and fold the dough over, forming a semi-circle. Press the edges together with the tines of a fork.

Boil the perogies a few at a time in a large pot of water. They are done when they float to the top (about 8-10 minutes). Rinse in cool water and let dry.

Saute sliced onions in butter in a large pan until onions are soft. Then add pierogies and pan fry until lightly crispy. Serve with a bitki & mizeria for a hearty yummy meal!

.Zombie.

Scenes from my morning:

Every Monday I curse France for being 9 hours ahead of PST. Nicolas Sarkozy has yet to respond to my several emails concerning my much needed beauty rest.

Yes, confusing thunder with "the big one" is insane. But to my credit please notice the several tectonic plates and active volcanoes within 2 hours of my house. Also, I was very much asleep. Also, I'm melodramatic much of the time.

There is so rarely lightning in Portland this this was the only photo that I could find of such a thing via google image search. Lovely though. That's the Pearl District.

Today I am a zombie. You need three bits of background information in order to understand why I'm so tired this Monday morning:

1. Let me start by saying that I am admittedly a giant wuss/princess when it comes to sleep. Like a small child I need something like 9 hours of good sleep to be a functional human being. Knowing this about myself I go to bed at 10pm every night and wake up at 7:15 every morning. Yes, I am aware that most people my age scoff at such a schedule but ya know what? I couldn't possibly care less. I'm almost always very well rested and physically content whereas most of those people that scoff complain to no end about how tired they are. When Amelia was a newborn and waking every two hours to nurse I went into "survival mode" as far as sleep deprivation goes, but at 12 weeks when we went through the whole "sleep training" thing and she started sleeping from 8:30pm-7:30am without waking my body gave up "survival mode" without a second thought.

2. Our alarm/child "goes off" at 7:15am Tuesday-Sunday. However, Cheyenne has a conference call meeting with the Paris offices every Monday that causes him to have to be at work an hour earlier than any other work day. So our alarm goes off at 6:30am on Mondays. This cuts into my much needed 9 hours. Every Monday I curse the country of France.

3. There is never thunder or lightening in Portland. I can count on one hand the times that I've seen/heard such a thing in this town and I have lived here for 23 years. Just doesn't happen.

Now you are up to date. So, this morning at 4:57am there was a clap of thunder so loud that it sounded like two giant semi trucks crashing into one another in my living room. Having been sound asleep my brain automatically went to "SHIT! IT'S THE EARTHQUAKE THAT'S GOING TO SEND US INTO THE OCEAN"....because, when I'm woken up out of a deep sleep my first thoughts are very rarely rational. Of course it was not in fact, any kind of earthquake and my beloved coastline is still very much connected to the North American continent. Now fully awake Cheyenne and I laid in bed counting the seconds between lightning and the insanely loud thunder. There were only four claps of thunder {that we heard} but all four were less than a mile away. Normally, I would be stoked - thunder and lightning are the only things, besides my family of course, that I miss/like about the Midwest. But 90 minutes before the alarm goes off? No thank you. Needless to say I never got back to sleep. Although that means that I'm only 2 hours short of my normal amount of shut-eye I am a total zombie this morning. I've been counting down the minutes until naptime {12:00pm} since the alarm went off. That's never a good way to start the week.

.Oaks Park.

After a week of less than summery weather {about 66 degrees and cloudy with off and on rain} we've finally gotten our sunshine back! Woo hoo! Today, to celebrate our beautiful 85 and sunny weather we took Peanut to Oak Park in the Sellwood area of Portland and she had so much fun! She went on the carousel {with Mama}, the giant slide {with Mama}, the hot air balloon ride {with Daddy}, and the train {with Daddy} and loved each thing. She was desperate to spend the whole day going on rides but all good things must come to an end.
Since she loved it so much we'll have to start going more often.

p.s. sorry about the photo quality. Our camera died on the way there and we were stuck using the cell phone cameras. Lame!

p.p.s. The "Snookie poof" that she's rockin' is totally 100% unintentional.

.TGIF.

This week's cocktail was picked because we are having our friends David & Abigail over for brunch this weekend. The three go-to brunch cocktails are the bloody mary, mimosa, & bellini. I think that I've shared one of each in previous posts but still decided to share a twist on the mimosa. I've yet to meet a person that will turn down a mimosa, they're so tasty! In fact, I even have a friend who drinks them outside of breakfast/brunch {a bit like eating pumpkin pie in the spring if you ask me but to each his own}. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Passion Fruit Mimosa
Ingredients:
1 cup of champagne/sparkling wine/prosecco, chillled
1/2 cup of passion fruit juice, chilled
strawberry for garnish

Directions:
Fill champagne flute or glass with champagne then juice and garnish with a fresh strawberry. Enjoy!

.PDX love & new art.

Cheyenne & I both loved this one on first sight. It says everything. You can find this and others like it here

I had to have this because one because the color is fantastic and because Le Happy is one of my very favorite places in Portland and because I miss living in NW so so much so this will be like having a bit of the old 'hood here in the new 'hood. You can find this and others like it here.

A few weeks back over dinner Cheyenne got on the subject of the decor in our living space. We agreed that there was an overabundance of "us"....photos of he and & I everywhere interspersed with photos of our beloved spawn.
We have a few pieces of non-us art {a giant version of this in the dining room along with this and a sweet custom piece that our friend Dave got us for Christmas one year from a local artist. We also have a few landscape black & white photos of London & Italy in the living room} but mostly is just...us. And that seems rather uninspired not to mention a bit pretentious.
So we got to talking and both rather liked the idea of adding some more local flavor art since the custom piece from Dave was the one that we like the most.
That night I went to my go-to source for all things {and source of unhealthy addiction}: Etsy. We found several pieces by local artists that we really loved so I saved all of them to my favorites with the thought of slowing buying them as I figure out spacing on the walls.
Today I ordered my two favorites {see above} and cannot wait for them to arrive! I think im just going to put them in simple Ribba frames from Ikea for a clean, modern & understated look {oh Ikea, you're always such a madhouse but I can't stay away}.
Eventually, I want to get this, this, & this to round out my ode to Portland then add in some lovely paintings and such for some color {that I think will entail several trips to Saturday Market & Last Thursday} and maybe an Alphonse Mucha print or two {since I love him I will figure out a way to make art nouveau work with modern}.

.Catching up with Katchlight.

While on a rare break from mommyhood today {aka naptime} I decided to catch up on the blog for Katchlight Studios {aka my favorite photographer, Mike Long} and ran across this timeless gem. It's amazing how she went from baby to kid so quickly. These photos weren't take that long ago {late November} but she's so much more grownup looking {for lack of a better term} now than she was in these photos. I still think the one of her screaming her head off in her Christmas dress is the best Christmas photo that I've ever seen. We get comments on it whenever people see it :-)

.The movies.

When is a child old enough to see a movie in a theater? Cheyenne and I are guessing between 3-5 depending on the child and film. This fact is killing me each time I see the trailer for Winnie the Pooh which just looks so completely adorable that it almost takes my breath away {it could be that I love the Keane song playing in the background}. For the most part our house is pretty anti-Disney Corp but I make exceptions now and again {Hines Ward being on Dancing with the Stars, Modern Family, the heart wrenching "Up" & "Wall-E" movies as well as the uber-cute Ratatouille} and if Amelia was just a wee bit older Winnie the Pooh would be THE perfect first movie to take her to. Sigh.
What do you think the right age is to take a child to their first movie? Do you remember yours?

.Recipe of the week.

Happy Monday everyone! Look at me, I'm on the ball and here with a recipe to share on the right day and everything! I'm taking this as a sign that I will be organized and clear headed this week {always good}. I know that the last few recipes have been on the sweet side so I had planned on sharing a nice savory main course but then I saw this recipe and it was too darn cute not to post! There are few things better than a root beer float on a hot day...but one of those things just might be a root beer float cupcake! Yummy!

Root Beer Float Cupcake

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cups sugar
½ dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp root beer extract
1 teaspoon salt
1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cocoa powder {Dutch processed}
2 cups root beer

Frosting:
1 lb unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
8 egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tsp root beer extract {or more to taste}

Directions:
Cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light and pale.
3. Add in the eggs one at a time and mix until combined
4. Sift together flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda together
5. Stir together root beer & root beer extract
6. Alternately add dry ingredients and root beer to mixing bowl, scraping down after each addition. Start and end with dry ingredients
7. Fill paper-lined muffin tins with batter 2/3 full.
8. Bake at 350° for 20-22 minutes

Vanilla & root beer swirl frosting:
1. Combine the sugar & egg whites in mixer bowl and whisk together over simmering water until hot to the touch and all of the sugar has melted and is no longer grainy
2. Transfer bowl to mixer stand and whip on high until fluffy & cool – about 10 minutes
3. With the mixer on low, add the softened butter, 1 tablespoon at a time until incorporated. Add in vanilla. Whip until smooth (it may look curdled, but just continue to mix & it will be fine!).
4. Remove ½ of the frosting and add root beer extract to the remaining frosting.
5. Using this "two bags in one" piping technique frost the cupcakes. This will create the swirl affect white adds to the flavor and look of the cupcakes. Be warned: this can be a bit tricky to master, not impossible or overly difficult but you should do a couple of practice swirls so that you get the hang of how much pressure you need to use before you go at the cupcakes.
6. Finish off the look with adorable vintage paper straws {cut down to size}!

.Sit still.

Hair. My child has lots and lots of hair. Since it curls into pretty ringlets about 3/4 of the way down when it's dry it hits just slightly below her shoulders but when it's wet it goes well past that. Not only is it long but she has a ton of it! Hair clips for toddlers really don't do the trick anymore and I have to use my own hair pins to keep her bangs out of her face. Without pulling her bangs back she seriously looks like a sweet little sheep dog.
I've been holding out on getting her hair cut because I've yet to see a 1 year old girl with a hair trim in any shape other than semi-mullet which is just not going to happen. However, since her hair grows so quickly I think that around her second birthday it'll be long enough for a trim without becoming a mullet.
When that time comes we are for sure going to Sit Still Salon in West Linn. It's so darn cute that I'm half tempted to take her more often than needed just for the experience! Ha! If you're a mom in the Portland area with a mop top offspring of your own you should check them out!

.Wonderful.

.Recipe of the week.

Oh bother. I had fully planned on sharing a cherry-based dessert recipe with you on Monday but then Monday was hectic and Tuesday I got sidetracked and so on and now I find that it's Friday and I haven't shared a recipe yet and I', "over" cherries since Amelia has gorged on them all week. Since the cocktail of the week was the greyhound I thought that a recipe that features grapefruit would be a nice combo. Enjoy!

Ginger & Pink Grapefruit Cheesecake

ingredients:

Crust:
20 whole graham crackers, coarsely broken
6 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger

Filling:
1 1/3 cups heavy whipping cream
1 (1-inch-long) piece fresh ginger, peeled, cut into very thin rounds
1 cup ginger preserves
1 tablespoon water
4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs

Topping:
2 large pink or ruby grapefruits
Finely chopped crystallized ginger

Directions:

For crust:
1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter 9-inch springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides.

2. Blend graham crackers and sugar in processor to coarse crumbs. Add 1/2 cup butter. Blend until crumbs hold together; press onto bottom and up sides of prepared pan. Bake crust until beginning to color, about 15 minutes; sprinkle with chopped ginger. Cool. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

3. Stack 3 long sheets of 18-inch-wide foil on work surface. Place cake pan in center. Fold foil snugly up sides of pan.

For filling:
1. Bring cream and fresh ginger to simmer. Remove from heat; cover. Steep 30 minutes. Strain cream. Stir preserves and 1 tablespoon water in small saucepan over medium heat until preserves melt; strain into small bowl. Discard solids; reserve ginger jelly.

2. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until smooth. Beat in sugar, ground ginger, vanilla, and salt. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well. Add 2 tablespoons ginger jelly and beat until blended. Gradually beat in strained cream. Transfer to prepared crust. Place cake pan in large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan. Place cake in water bath in oven.

3. Bake cake until gently set, browned on top, and beginning to crack around edges, about 2 hours. Remove from water. Remove foil. Place hot cake, uncovered, in refrigerator and chill overnight. Do ahead Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep cake chilled. Store ginger jelly at room temperature.

For topping:
1. Line large plate with several layers of paper towels. Cut all peel and pith off grapefruits. Working over bowl, cut between membranes to release segments; place on paper towels to drain. Cover with additional paper towels, pressing to absorb excess liquid. Do ahead Can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Chill, changing towels as needed.

2. Cut around crust. Remove pan sides. Spread 1/4 cup ginger jelly over filling; top with grapefruit, then brush with ginger jelly. Sprinkle with crystallized ginger. Do ahead Can be made 1 hour ahead. Chill.

3. Enjoy!

.Tgif.

It's the end of what has felt like a really long week {I think the week after vacation always feels painfully long}. Tonight we're having our friends David & Abigail over for "drinks and nibbles". We always have the intention of playing board games or card games but once we get to talking and the cocktails come out we only have a 50% success rate of actually getting the games out before we realize that it's incredibly late and that we've been talking and laughing for hours and all need to go to bed.
Abigail likes to lay claim to Amelia's existence because she was the one that threw the party & played bartender the night in May when I had a few greyhounds a couple of years ago. As a fun play on a long running joke/theme we like to break out the ole greyhound from time to time. Since tonight will be no exception I'll share a recipe for a twist on the classic. Enjoy!

Pineapple Greyhound

Ingredients:

Ice cubes as needed
1 fl. oz. vodka
2 fl. oz. pineapple juice
1.5 fl. oz. pink grapefruit juice
2 half moon grapefruit slices

Directions:
Fill a rocks glass or large tumbler with ice cubes up to the rim. Add the vodka, pineapple juice and grapefruit juice and stir to combine. Garnish with the grapefruit slices. Serves 1.

.Distractions.

During the day when I need to get things done {a load of dishes, laundry, cleaning, etc} Amelia is fairly good about entertaining herself. One of my go to distractions that I unleash when I need her occupied for a little while are the two Hallmark recordable storybooks {one from her Gramma Renee & one from her "honorary grandmas" Vicky & Darleen}. If you are like most people of my generation then you are raising your children some distance from where your extended family live and if you haven't heard of these books I suggest that you check them out. Hallmark has a large selection of titles and my child at least, loves them. It's a sweet way to help little ones remember the sounds of their family that they don't get to see often enough.

.Now, that is a proposal.

This video from Michael Justin Films is a-mazing! I cried like a big over emotional girl watching this short film. Of course, I wonder if John realizes that this beautiful proposal will now make it very difficult for any man with a girlfriend who has seen this film ;-)
Enjoy!

.Just to prove a point.

Ya know how I keep harping on how much a child {mine specifically} changes in just one year? Well today I snapped a photo representation of that very fact. Our good friends Luis & Sayuri have a son {Sebastian} who was born on January 19, 2011 which is just 357 days after Amelia.
Today Sayuri & I had a playdate and while the little ones were in their swings giggling and enjoying life I couldn't help myself and grabbed the camera to snatch a quick photo of them together. Adorable!