A Mom's Year

Creating a comfortable life one moment at a time

Country of the Week: Italy / Basil

A long time ago I posted about Little Passports, a “club” that sends your child an adventure package from a new country every month. The package includes a letter from globe-trekking Sam and Sofia, an activity sheet, a real photo from the country, a stamp to put in their “passport”, a map marker, a suitcase sticker, a cool souvenir, and a collectible boarding pass to access additional online games and activities. I love the concept, but not the idea of cramming anything else into the busy school year. So every month I tossed the package into the activity bin and said, “Later.”

But now summer is here and the days are stretching out, just waiting to be filled. So I reached into the depths of the bin and out came…Italy. Splendido.

The package was full of the usual goodies, plus a packet of basil seeds to plant and watch grow and then use in the included recipe for marinara sauce. We planted the seeds and then came up with a list of other ideas for Italy Week. I’m sure we won’t get to everything, but the point is to have fun, try new things, and learn something along the way.

Italy
Plant basil seeds (done!)
Make homemade pasta or gnocchi
Visit Cossetta’s market
Eat gelato
Make risi e bisi (rice and peas)
Read a story set in Italy (Tomie de Paolo, Italo Calvino)
Talk about Italian art and music
Learn some Italian phrases
Find where Grandpa Tony is from on the map
Watch movies set in Italy (A Room With a View, Enchanted April, Roman Holiday, The Lizzy McGuire Movie, When in Rome)
Visit this blog

Is there anything else we should add to the list?

Muffin Mondays / Lemon Muffins

Muffin Mondays are back! I totally slacked off on this fun little ritual during the school year because, well, it wasn’t fun. The kids had to leave for school so early that to get up any earlier to make muffins was not fun. Of course, the smart thing would have been to make the batter on Sunday night but I always forgot in the craziness of preparing for the week.

So maybe it’ll just be a summer thing for our family. There’s more time to enjoy the process, plus it’s much more fun to bake with Will. He’s perfect for the job: he’s an early riser and he’s obsessed with the KitchenAid mixer. (Who can blame him? The thing is awesome.)

I did a quick search for lemon muffins (because I have lemons) and spotted this recipe on The Awl. It looked like it’d be simple and delicious, and it was.

The only thing I’d add to the recipe (which is worth a read in and of itself), is that our cooking time was closer to 20 minutes and we used a wooden skewer instead of a wooden spoon to poke the holes. They turned out great and we’ll definitely be making them again.

 

Little Things / Butter Bell Crock

Butter Bell Crocks are such a funny thing to be posting about on the last day of school, but I’ve been meaning to tell you about them for ages. And, to be completely honest, it’s all my brain can handle right now!

Have you ever seen one? I’ve had one for so long that I can’t remember if my Georgia hermana gave it to me or if I found out about them first and gave her one. Either way, I’m glad I have one.

The cool thing about Butter Bells is that they keep butter fresh and at perfect “spreading” consistency by creating an airtight seal of water at the base of the crock. You just soften a stick of butter a little bit, pack it into the bell-shaped lid, and place the lid back into the base (which you’ve filled partway with cold water).

The “official” Butter Bells cost $24.95 (plus shipping), but there are lots of other options at Amazon. Mine is more than 10 years old and it’s still in good shape—a little chipped around the edges, but that gives it character.

I love the little things like this that make life just a bit easier.

I hope your weekend is full of good things, big and little. Our kids have a half-day, so I’ll be heading to school soon to “clap-out” Lexie and the other fifth-graders as they walk the halls for the last time before heading off to Middle School. Tonight we’ll head to the drive-in for the Last Day of School party (Madagascar 3!). And then, since the temperatures are supposed to be in the 90s this weekend, we’ll be looking for ways to keep cool.

See you next week!

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp

After school today we made strawberry-rhubarb crisp with the fruit from our first farm share. Is there anything better than fruit crisp right out of the oven with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream?

You can use any combination of rhubarb and strawberries—we had about 3 cups of rhubarb, so we used strawberries for the fourth cup.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp

Topping:
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup butter, melted
dash of salt

Filling:
4 cups any combination of rhubarb and strawberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

In an 8 x 8 pan, mix together rhubarb and strawberries, sugar, flour, and cinnamon. If using fresh rhubarb, add 1/2 cup water.

In a separate bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, oatmeal, a dash of salt, and butter. Sprinkle topping over the rhubarb-strawberry mixture and bake uncovered until golden brown (about 45 minutes). Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Do you have a favorite rhubarb recipe? I don’t remember if it was my mom or a friend’s who made really delicious rhubarb-strawberry bars. 

Our Farm Share Adventure Begins

Have you ever heard of buying shares from a farmer? Basically, a farmer offers a certain number of “shares” to the public. You, the consumer, purchase a share and in return receive a box of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season. I’ve always wanted to try this so when a friend asked if we’d like to buy a share from a local organic farm, I jumped at the chance.

We picked up our first box from Borner Farm today and it felt like opening a present. The box was full of red-tipped lettuce, spinach, kale, chives, radishes, rhubarb, and strawberries, with a little sprig of clover on top.

We ate the lettuce tonight, and it was melt-in-your-mouth good. I’m hoping to make a rhubarb and strawberry crisp tomorrow night. I saw a recipe for baked kale that’s supposed to be reminiscent of potato chips—I just have to remember where I saw it. And we’ll give One Ordinary Day’s roasted radishes a try.

I’ve heard that kids are more willing to eat fruits and vegetables that they’ve helped grow. Right away, Lily asked if she could eat some of the strawberries, so I’m thinking that theory might be true!

Borner Farm is a lovely spot and I’m looking forward to picking up our boxes every week this summer and feeling inspired to try new things. And eating a little healthier, too.