“Well,” he said.

“You are wearing a Russian Winter Coat.”

I was hurt. I was upset. How dare he point out that my delicious, comfortable pajamas that I planned on wearing on a daily basis and replacing my real clothes with was, well, ugly/over sized/and thick as a down jacket? I returned it the next day. Not because of what he said. But because it was true.

It is really easy to get stuck in a rut of PJ wearing. And only talking about your baby. And never wearing make up, or buying new clothes, or listening to some fantastic hip-hop jams. But eventually it piles up and you look in the mirror and don’t recognize yourself. I’m not making any vows here. But I’m still cool. That unique, interesting, poet-turned Jewess-turned mother is in there. You might have to dig through a massive Shabbos robe, some fake hair and a burp cloth to find her, but play the right song, and she’ll come out dancing.

(Thanks W.B. for posting this song today. I needed the groove.)

It’s a strange time for me, but a good one, and necessary I think. In two weeks time I’ll be moving out of our apartment into another. A nice little place off a pedestrian path, with a garden with a tree. I’ll have another month after that to settle in, set up house, and then my life will change drastically once again. It feels incredible to go through all of our possessions, shedding old clothes and knick knacks and garbage that has been weighing us down since before we were married. And our little baby isn’t such a little baby anymore. He’s chatting, cruising, getting into trouble. Soon enough he’ll be walking. Things are always changing, evolving. But I can count on that cold intake of air to bring me back to a familiar place of renewal.

There is nothing revolutionary about this pie. I use fresh pumpkin, which is actually quite simple to prepare*, and it makes a world of difference. You could use a can of pure pumpkin puree and I won’t hold it against you. A smooth dairy-free custard is baked in a gluten-free cookie crust which holds up well as the days pass; no soggy bottoms here. Spicy, sweet, delightful.

*I realize I forgot to mention how one actually prepares fresh pumpkin. I like small-ish sugar pumpkins, as the larger ones tend to have a funky taste. Save those for your front stoop. Hack it up in the pieces, scraping out the stringy insides and seeds. Place in a large microwave safe bowl and cover with plastic. Microwave in 10 minute bursts until all pieces are soft and easily pierced with a fork. Scrape out the flesh into another large bowl and puree with a hand blender, or blend in a blender. If it seems to be excessively watery, you can strain it in a strainer lined with cheesecloth. I like to freeze half-cup amounts in small plastic bags, labeled, so I can take out a few when I need an Autumn pick-me-up. Voila! Easy as pie.

Pumpkin Pie in a Cookie Crust
Gluten free, dairy free, soy free
Makes 1 9 inch deep dish pie
Adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients

2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons Brown rice flour (or all-purpose flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin (If using the canned version, make sure it is unseasoned)
2 tablespoons honey
3 large eggs
1 cup almond milk (or any dairy free milk of your preference)
1 prepared Gluten Free Cookie Crust (Recipe below)

Preheat oven to 450 F. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients, blend until smooth. Pour into baked and cooled cookie crust. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower heat to 325 F and bake for another 40-60 minutes, depending on your oven. Cool on a wire rack completely. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the pie and refrigerate until serving (2-3 days max.). Serve cold or at room temperature.

Gluten Free Cookie Crust
Makes 1 9 inch deep dish crust
Adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups finely crushed gluten free tea biscuits (or any other simple butter cookie similar to a vanilla wafer)
1/4 cup white sugar
6 tablespoons margarine, melted (The comma placement means you first measure out 6 tbsp of cold margarine, then melt. If a recipes states “6 tbsp melted margarine” it means you measure AFTER melting. Not as common)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
A pinch of salt

Directions for Crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C). In a bowl combine the cookie crumbs, sugar, margarine and cinnamon; mix until well blended. Press into a 9 inch pie plate. Bake in the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes, until lightly brown. Cool.

You might recognize this recipe from my Vegan Banana Bread. Instead of messing around with other gluten-free muffin recipes with ingredients I didn’t have, I decided to experiment with a recipe that works- with wheat flour at least. With the guidance of Gluten-free Goddess and her baking tips and substitutions, I made a gluten-free flour mix, and subbed out the wheat flour in my regular recipe. I also added an egg and some baking powder for extra leavening and binding. And a little ground flax seed for good measure. Mine did not rise as high as traditional muffins, but you can experiment with how much you fill your baking cups. I can’t express how delicious these are. And not just by gluten-free standards. You can easily make this into banana bread, just grease or line a standard size loaf pan with parchment and voila. You could even add chocolate chips. My Husband would approve.

Gluten-free Whole Grain Banana Muffins
Makes 12 muffins or 1 large loaf
Gluten, Soy, and Dairy-free
*Note: the GF flour mix makes more than needed for this recipe. Store the rest in an airtight container in your fridge or freezer and use for another delectable gluten free recipe. It works well for just about any baked good.

Ingredients
1/2 cup margarine or canola oil
1/2-3/4 cup Demerara or white sugar (depending on how sweet you like your muffins)
1 egg
1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour mix*
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3 ripe, mashed bananas

Gluten-free flour mix:
1 cup brown or whole rice flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup tapioca starch
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp ground flax seeds

Whisk together and store in the refrigerator or freezer in a tightly lidded container.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F (176 C). Line a muffin tin with liners, or grease wells with oil. In a large bowl, combine margarine or canola oil and sugar, stirring well to combine. Add the egg and beat well. Add salt and pumpkin pie spice. Sift in 1 1/2 cups of the gluten-free flour mix, baking soda, and baking powder. Add mashed bananas. Mix well, beating for a minute or two. With normal muffins, over beating would make for a tough muffin. With gluten-free flours, beating adds aeration and makes for a lighter crumb. Using a 1/4 cup measure, fill the muffin cups with batter almost to the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes. The muffins are done when they are brown on the top, the tops spring back when you touch them, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the pan cool on a wire rack for a minute or two. Remove the muffins to the wire rack to cool, or else the bottoms will steam. Eat them all.

Unlike the US, in Israel a down payment is roughly 20% of the full price of an apartment. We’re talking at least $100,000 and that is just the beginning! Tack onto that an incredibly high price of living and you’re in a pickle.

When we discovered that our lease wasn’t going to be renewed this year, it brought to the forefront a serious discussion about our goals. We want to set down roots, and avoid having to pick up and move our family every summer. It’s not only expensive but emotionally and physically draining. Gil and I had a sit down last week to crunch the numbers and see if we could ever afford to purchase our own place. Luckily we have no debt (and hopefully never will!) but instead a nice chunk of savings. At the rate we are going we will be able to save enough for a down payment in less than 10 years. I decided to take matters into my own hands and reevaluate our household budget to see if we could close the gap before I hit 30.

I made a list of every single purchase, every take-out meal, every magazine that pulls money from the monthly budget. I began to realize that there are simple solutions to saving thousands of dollars in the long run. Here are some that I swear by:

* Shop in the less expensive grocery store. I buy the exact same products at a lesser price. Not rocket science.

* Portion out your weekly grocery money into an envelope or separate section of your wallet. When you use cash, you can see a visual running tab of how much money you have left to spend. If need be, bring a calculator to the store. In this day and age no one will look twice at you.

* Plan the weeks meals in advance. Purchase groceries according to the meal list, include any snacks. I found that this not only helped our budget, but my peace of mind. I hate it when 5 o’clock rolls around and you have nothing planned for dinner and no ingredients in your fridge. It cuts down on useless snacking and take-out as well.

* Cook. Instead of buying boxes of expensive granola bars, make your own at a fraction of the price. Make a big batch of bread dough and bake small loaves throughout the week for sandwiches and dinner. It’s easier than you think.

* Eat less meat. We eat meat on Shabbat and Tuesdays. If you incorporate more vegetarian meals into your cooking repertoire, you might discover that your grocery bill shrinks significantly. It is also healthier for your family and will save you money on health care costs in the long run.

* Factor in luxuries that make you feel good, and don’t feel bad about it. For example, I read a particular magazine every week. It’s not a huge expense, but it’s not free. Reading it keeps me feeling connected and therefore it’s worth it. Whatever this might be in your case- downloading music from iTunes, buying a book for yourself, going on a date with your husband, indulging in bath products, if it makes your life better it should have a place.

All in all, at the end of this saga we will hopefully have a nice nest egg saved up to buy some bigger clothes for our giant baby.

Not all of these suggestions will work for every family or every situation. But just incorporating one or two changes can alter your mindset and motivate you to reach your goals.

Happy Saving!

I brought this Chocolate Pudding pie to a Purim bar-b-q hosted by a friend of mine. On the holiday of Purim we eat, drink and generally be merry, give gifts of food and drink, spread the wealth around to those less fortunate, disguise ourselves in costumes and listen twice to the Purim story of how Queen Esther and Mordechai the Jew saved the Jewish people. By the time dessert rolls around everyone is so tipsy no one cares what you serve them- this pie is the exception. There were ooohs. And aaaahs. People asked for seconds. It’s dairy-free and darn good.

Chocolate Pudding Pie
Adapted from The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book

Ingredients

1 cookie crumb crust (I used a Keebler graham cracker crust, but you can easily make your own)
For the Filling:
2 1/2 cups soy milk
150 grams semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
4 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch (cornflour)
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
For the Topping:
1 cup parve heavy cream (I used Rich’s Whip)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Finely chopped chocolate for garnish

Directions

In a saucepan over low heat, combine the soy milk and finely chopped chocolate and stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Turn off the heat. In a large bowl whisk egg yolks with sugar until pale yellow in color. Add cornstarch, salt, and vanilla extract and beat for 1 minute. In small batches, slowly pour the melted chocolate into the egg mixture, mixing well in between additions. Do not pour in all at once or the eggs will cook and your custard will be ruined. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. About 5-10 minutes. Whisk until completely smooth. At this point you have the perfect chocolate pudding. Feel free to forgo the pie and eat with a spoon. If you decide to proceed, pour the pudding into the pie crust until it almost reaches the top. There might be a bit of pudding left over. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the pie and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours before serving. In the bowl of an electric mixer (or a stainless steel mixing bowl) combine parve whipping cream, remaining 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Whip on medium-high with the whisk attachment (or with a wire whisk if by hand) until stiff peaks form, about 3-5 minutes. You can tell a stiff peak if when you remove the whisk from the bowl, a peak of cream remains standing and doesn’t fold over. Remove plastic from the chilled pie and spoon whipped cream onto the top, smoothing the surface. You can dust with finely chopped chocolate for a garnish. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. You can also place in the freezer for a few minutes to firm before serving.

Purim Sameach!

I regret, however, that everything else in my life has fallen to the wayside. My laundry pile is 9 feet high. My husband has to do sinks worth of dishes after working for 12 hours. And my Baby? He’s walking and talking already.

That’s a joke. But he is drinking out of a cup like a grown up. If grown ups drank out of sippy cups. And dribbled a lot.

Coming up this week: The Best Chili in the World (and it might even get you a little tipsy!)

With my love and devotion,
Katie

To my surprise, I was home 40 minutes after my first day of classes was meant to begin with a request to come back tomorrow morning and start fresh. I found myself in an empty house with more than 3 hours until I had to pick up AJ. I have not had 3 hours to myself since last August. I seriously considered putting my PJs back on and going to bed for the entire time. Then I realized these gifts don’t come around often, so I decided to do the next best thing: bake some cookies. I’ve been all-consumed with preparing the Babe for daycare, I haven’t baked anything in weeks. Not good for my psyche. Time to fill the void.

When I was pregnant my birthing class teacher taught me that you should always have healthy oatmeal cookies on hand. They are good for fighting cravings, are filled with wholesome ingredients, and you don’t have to feel badly about eating a ton of them. Her version is a whole lot healthier than these, but I’m not complaining.

Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
adapted from The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book

I love the combination of dried coconut with oatmeal- in fact, I love it so much I eat it every morning for breakfast. Instead of your average addition of cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice packs a punch of interesting flavors including cardamom, cloves, and citrus depending on your brand. I like Trader Joe’s. These are reminiscent of the Ranger cookies from my past. Even though they are made with oil as opposed to butter, they are surprisingly rich tasting.

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4-1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (depending how spicy you like your cookies)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup unsweetened dried coconut

In a large bowl, add canola oil and sugars and beat well with a wooden spoon. Add lightly beaten egg and vanilla, beating again to combine. Sift in flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Mix until well blended. Add rolled oats and dried coconut and mix until blended. Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350 F (176 C) and grease a cookie sheet well or line with parchment paper. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the sheet, with at least 2 inches in between as the cookies spread. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove immediately to a wire rack and cool completely. These will keep for a few days in an airtight container. You can also flash freeze balls of dough on a parchment lined cookie sheet, transferring them to a freezer safe bag when solid. Then grab a few from the bag and pop them in the oven whenever you want fresh cookies!
*Note- I did the above and discovered these are even better straight of the freezer into a hot oven.

You’re in the shower, your one time to be alone, and your baby starts to cry. You don’t get out.

Walking through the doorway and your baby smacks his head on the doorjamb. Or he rolls off the bed, couch, chair, changing table, _____ insert your horrific story here.

As I mentioned earlier this week, I’m going back to school. Starting on Tuesday I will be gone for 5.5 hours in the morning, leaving AJ with a babysitting group. At 6 months old, he should be ready for some socialization. Mama gets boring. But what do you do when it comes to nap time? Or snack? I feel like I’ve left my baby ill-equipped to deal with the pressures of day care.

Let me rewind a bit. Gil and I practice attachment parenting. In short, we believe that a baby who grows up feeling secure will turn into a sensitive and empathetic child, teenager, and adult. I nurse or feed our baby when he is hungry, and stop when he is full. We wear him in a baby carrier or wrap so he benefits from physical contact and affection. And up until a few weeks ago, he happily slept in a co-sleeper attached to our bed, or right next to me. Whether or not this actually made a difference, I have a pretty chilled out baby.

Before I had a baby, I thought attachment parenting was wacko. I imagined 5 year old kids nursing, and a whole family sleeping together in bed. Although I consider myself a nurturing person, that didn’t seem up my alley. Then AJ was born and I realized that all I could do was what came naturally to me. What women have been doing for thousands of years- minus sleep methods, bottles and cribs. (I don’t even begin to judge anyone who takes a different path in raising their kids. Everyone does what works for them and I respect that.)

But now a new day is upon us. In T-minus 5 days my baby will get dropped off at daycare. I won’t be there to nurse him, or rock him to sleep. Most likely he’ll be expected to fall asleep on his own in a crib. I feel like the relationship we have built over the past 6 months is about to crumble to bits. Add on to that some teething problems, growth spurts, separation anxiety and a vehement opposition to the Ferber cry-it-out method. What’s an attached Mama and Baby to do?

Starting in elementary school, certain classes became difficult for me. Math, science, foreign language. A bright kid, all of a sudden I felt stupid and left behind and overwhelmed. It would take decades and dozens of tutors and teachers to get over the mental block I had for those subjects, and I’m still healing. Being thrown into a learning environment in a subject area I already find difficult and NOT being able to speak English- part of the complete immersion, is going to seriously take me down a notch. In the past I’ve gotten around it by quitting everything that got even the slightest bit challenging. Because then I’d never look stupid. Right?

This week I learned a lesson from my Son. He started sitting up by himself.

I never thought it would happen, but after toppling over time and again, he learned to put his hands out and support himself. Yesterday he even went as far as to reach out and grab a toy while still managing to root his thick, baby trunk. It didn’t matter that every other time he fell on his face. He didn’t mind. Who cares? He’s a baby, he’s never done this before.

What could we accomplish if every effort was like that of a child- no fear, no reservations? It’s not a new idea, but it’s an important one.

This pair have become best friends.

What could be better than that?