top 5 Melissa and Doug toddler treasures

Every since my little guy grew old enough to really appreciate his toys, I have had to restrain my every impulse not to purchase all the items in the Melissa and Doug collection.  While they're not all made in America or by old European men who sit at ancient wooden desks and hand pain each toy with careful precision (yes, somehow this is the image I've conjured into my head), the majority of M & D's stuff is solid wood.  There is very little plastic, and not much in the way of batteries and bells and whistles.  Almost all of the toys would provide interest for a child for many years, and the fact that they're well-made means they hold up well.  I'll be the first to admit that they're not the cheapest toys on the block, but for my money I'm so happy that A has a modest collection of toys that encourage his intellectual development and foster creativity, without lots of cool sounds and special features.  Don't get me wrong-there are great benefits to some of those toys, and when I get around to writing a new "toddler essentials" post, I'll probably even include some of them.  I just like the idea of toys that make him "work a little harder", so to speak.  Here are some of our favorites:

Deluxe Pound and Roll Tower. We've had the tower since before A turned 1, and he's always had fun with it.  When he was really little, he liked the feel of the balls and hearing them clatter down into the tower (which we had to orchestrate).  Now, he's a total pro, calling the balls out by color and asking for his "hammer."

Wooden Animal Nesting Blocks. We haven't had these blocks very long, but I imagine we'll be playing with them for quite some time.  There are gorgeous, brightly colored pictures of different animals on every side of each block, and A likes to identify them before toppling the tower I've built for him.  So far, he's not so keen on actually building towers, only throwing mine down.  A little warning here: the blocks, being made of wood, do not have baby-friendly softened edges.  They're HARD.  If your toddler is really rambunctious, as mine can be, you have to keep a close eye on them while they're playing so as to avoid bumps and bruises.

Stamp and Sort Mailbox.  We purchased the mailbox for A at Christmas, and it was BY FAR the most popular gift of the holidays.  It contains six solid wooden "letters" of varying thicknesses, which can be inserted into the matching slots of the mailbox.  There have been a few occasions wherein A has given into his toddler frustration of not selecting the proper slot for each letter, but for the most part, he loves it.  He likes to tell me that he's sending mail to his cousin L.

Vehicles. There are lots of great vehicles in the collection, perfect for little toddler hands pushing around the floor all day long.  We love the garbage truck, and this cargo carrier has been a huge hit with A.

Puzzles. Oh, the puzzles!  There are veritable mountains to choose from, and because they're fairly affordable, it's hard for me to keep from buying a new one every time we stop at our favorite toy store.  I've managed to rein myself in, however, and kept A's collection to a manageable 7-8 puzzles, neatly stored in a wire M & D puzzle rack, of course.  The one pictured is a big favorite these days.  A likes to dump the puzzle out and "pretend" to fit a piece into every single slot on the board, saying "Not that one!" until he finds the right slot, announcing "That's better."  Love that kid :)

the greatest event(s) in television history

Right off the bat I'm going to warn you that there is a bit of adult content in these videos.  Not anything so inappropriate that they're NSFW, but there is a crass phrase or two.

Now that my little PG-13 warning is out of the way, please enjoy these hilarious shot-for-shot recreations of the intros to two deliciously silly shows of the '80's, featuring the talent of Adam Scott, Amy Poehler, and Jon Hamm.

Hart to Hart.

Entertainment Weekly's review of the Greatest Event in Television History

How on EARTH did I miss the Simon and Simon bit? It came out MONTHS ago!  I have an especially soft spot for the original show-it was one of three or four that my parents enjoyed watching when I was growing up.  We didn't have a television, so in the evenings the three of us would walk to my grandparents' house (just up the hill from ours) and the adults would watch while I ran around and amused myself.  My grandfather and dad would often dance with me when the theme songs came on-back then, the theme song of a show was like a little movie trailer, featuring popular scenes and a long, dramatic score that became comfortably familiar.  The other shows they loved included Magnum P.I. and Dallas.  It really was the '80's.

Simon & Simon.

Entertainment Weekly's review of the FIRST Greatest Event in Television History.  Be sure to watch the original intro to Simon and Simon.  I miss Gerald McRaney.

browsing history

I've held onto a few of these finds because they're so wonderful, like the Office cast visiting Scranton. Most of them came from my afternoon web jaunts in the last few weeks.

-The Office casts visits Scranton in advance of the series finale. Love this photo mosaic on NBC's website, too! Of course, I had to include a nod to PB & J.

-Reading about Crayola crayons. Love the gorgeous photos.

-I NEED to find some ramps and make this pizza!

-The Hollywood Reporter's potential Emmy nominees for Best Dramatic Actress roundtable.  Whew, that's an awkward sentence! I haven't watched the entire video, but the transcript is great.  Especially love Monica Potter.

-Amateur Gourmet is a new-to-me blog, but definitely a happy find.  It was the obsession with Ina Garten that won me over.  I too, find myself mesmerized by Ina's warm dinners for Jeffrey.

source: http://www.buzzfeed.com/summeranne/signs-youre-addicted-to-books-reading

-25 signs you're addicted to books. It's a bit crass, but I admit that #17 rings quite true for me, followed by #18. I also find myself at #25 ALL THE TIME.

wild rice gratin with kale, caramelized onions, and baby swiss

I've given myself a lot of credit on this blog for being what I'd like to call an "early adopter" of kale.  It certainly didn't hurt that I've just always liked the taste of dark greens, and once I moved to California and was exposed to the piles of Swiss chard, collards, and, of course, kale at weekend farmer's markets, it was easy to start trying different things and become a pro at cooking them well.  Technically, most people that live here have long been familiar with the most popular, super healthy veg on the block.

Over the last few years, I've discovered quite a few kale recipes that I love and prepare regularly.  I've written about baked rigatoni with kale, a big dish of comfort where strips of kale get toasty and brown amidst creamy, cheesy sauce and pasta.  And of course there is sweet potato and kale pizza, so good I could eat it every night and never tire of it.

Well, my friends, there is a new kale recipe in town, and it shot right up to the top of my list of favorites from the moment I read about it, in Deb Perelman's new cookbook, The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.  Even if it didn't contain kale, wild rice, and Swiss cheese (gruyere for me, please!), the odds of an SK recipe being anything other than delicious would be monumentally low.  Deb never lets me down!

An added benefit for the gratin is that it's perfect for little ones.  I have been, and continue to strive to prepare meals for us as a family instead of making separate meals for my little guy, but there are times when we're craving a deliciously greasy pizza from our favorite local spot, Pizza My Heart, or something else I might deem a bit too rich for him.  On those nights, you'll usually find a sliced avocado with scrambled eggs and toast on his plate.  That's no shabby dinner, mind you, but it feels more warm and wholesome for us to all be eating the same thing.

As you can see from the photo I've included, SK's gratin is a hit in our house.  Little A slurps up the caramelized onions and chopped kale like an old pro, loving every bite.  I will tell you that the inclusion of toasty bread crumbs and the aforementioned cheese certainly pushes the dish from something hearty and healthy to something heavenly and addictive.  Even though he is a great little eater, even my A probably wouldn't devour the dish with such relish minus the cheese and carbs.

Wild Rice Gratin with Kale, Caramelized Onions, and Baby Swiss, adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, by Deb Perelman

wild rice:
5 cups cooked wild rice (from 1 2/3 cups uncooked)

caramelized onions:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large sweet onions, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon table salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 cups stemmed, ribboned kale leaves (from an 8-ounce or 225-gram bundle)

assembly:
2 cups (8 ounces) coarsely grated Emmentaler or another Swiss cheese (I used gruyere)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 tablespoon to grease the dish; 1 tablespoon melted, for crumbs)
3/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs
Table salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Cook the rice according to package directions (I  used a bag of wild rice from Trader Joe's).  Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. Meanwhile, caramelize the onions.  Heat the butter and olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-low heat.  Add onions, sprinkle with salt and a little pepper, and cook until they're tender and sweet, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes (Incidentally, the fact that the onions take a while to cook gives you time to chop the kale, grate the cheese, and gather other ingredients).  Add the kale ribbons, and cook until they wilt a bit, about 5 minutes.  Stir together the onion-kale mixture, wild rice, and 1 cup grated cheese in a large bowl.  Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed (I opted out of getting another bowl dirty and instead dumped everything into my baking dish).
3. Assemble the gratin.  Use 1 tablespoon butter to generously coat a 2-quart baking dish.  Spread the wild-rice mixture into prepared gratin and pour broth over it.  Sprinkle remaining cheese over gratin.  Toss breadcrumbs with 1 tablespoon melted butter and salt and pepper to taste; sprinkle over cheese.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a little bubbly and beginning to brown on top.

what we're reading now

Not a lot has changed around here on the reading front-books continue to serve as a great source of entertainment in our household.  Here are the ones that have been in heavy circulation lately.

Lemons are Not Red. We are big fans of Laura Vaccaro Seeger's newer book, Green, so I was thrilled to see that the library had multiple copies of this book on hand.  Another clever concept book, featuring cut-outs on each page that open to the next, revealing matching colors, it is incredibly appealing for the young and the old.  Even though we first discovered it months ago, A is still known to frequently shout out, "Moon is not black, moon silver!" or "Grass not blue, grass green!"  Of all the books on our current list, this is the one I would recommend most highly.

The Very Busy Spider.  To be honest, we've been familiar with this book for almost as long as I've been keeping track of our favorites.  Before I had a baby, I wasn't incredibly enamored with Eric Carle's classics, a fact I think I might have even written about before.  The fact is, they're exactly the kind of books young children need and relish: repetitive and predictable patterns, bright and basic colors, familiar themes...  It's no surprise that most of Carle's books have been wildly popular for decades.  The Very Busy Spider is probably the title that I have enjoyed reading the most.  I'm a sucker for farm themes, and this book has the added benefit of a tactile feature-the web is embossed onto each page.

The Bear in the Book. Another generous gift from our librarian friend, this book sat forlornly on the shelf for quite a while before we picked it up one day.  I had initially written it off as being a bit too long, but quickly became enamored. It's a story-within-a-story, told from the viewpoint of a little boy reading a story about a bear with his mother.  There is a lilting, sonorous quality to the book that I haven't come across in a long time.  SH and I have even found ourselves talking about it after A is in bed.  And obviously, he loves it too.  It's not just a favorite for mom and dad.

Steam Train Dream Train.  I have written before about our local bookstore, one of the best things about our neighborhood.  We have been lucky to attend two book signings there, one for Caldecott-winning author Jon Klassen and the other for illustrator Tom Lichtenheld.  Lichtenheld is the artist behind Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, another book that A loves, so it was especially exciting to meet him and pick up a copy of his newest book.  At first, I wasn't impressed-the concept seemed a little abstract for my little guy.  I couldn't have been more wrong-he asks for it on almost a daily basis.

Little Tug. Some trips to the library are fruitful, and some of them result in a bag full of old favorites, like Paul Galdone's fairy tales.  I found this book on our most recent trip, and it was such a pleasant surprise.  It's a super simple story, with old-fashioned, vintage-style illustrations.  Possibly my favorite thing about it is hearing A ask me to read it-his rendering of the word "tug" is one of the cutest things I've ever heard.

Horton Hatches the Egg.  Oh, how I fondly recall the days when A would scoff at this beloved classic, throwing it aside after I'd only read a page or two!  Don't get me wrong-I am thrilled that he loves books so much, and also happy that he is building up a tolerance for longer books.  It's just that reading one of the longest children's books in the HISTORY of children's books on repeat at the ridiculously early hour of 6 am has begun to be a bit too much.  Even if hearing "Horton! Egg!" is extremely adorable.

lullaby mix

Almost from the moment he was born, my A has been exposed to the music that I adore.  He was literally birthed while "Clocks" was playing right next to my hospital bed. I will confess that I totally wanted to be one of those "cool" parents who only played hip indie tunes, historical classics, or simply my favorite songs.  Music meant for kids would play in our house, for sure, but it wouldn't be what A grew to love.  He would have diverse musical tastes! Soothed to sleep by Coldplay! Dance enthusiastically to the Contours "Do You Love Me"! Beg me to play "Taper Jean Girl" over and over, no matter how inappropriate.  Like many, many, pre-parental ideals, this has not exactly proved to be the musical environment around here.  There is a lot of Raffi happening, people, a lot of it at the ungodly, non-Raffi friendly hour of 6 am.  We get lots of requests for "Elmo's Song", even though A has never seen an episode of Sesame Street.  Slightly more tolerable are the audiobooks I've downloaded, though I'm pretty sure I never want to see Tikki Tikki Tembo again.

What I have thus far been able to control, however, is what I like to call the "lullaby mix."  A version of this playlist has been playing during A's naps since he was about three months old.  There have been a few cuts that didn't quite fit and a few additions, and now, it's just about perfect.  I thought it might be nice to have a record of it on this little blog of mine.

Sea of Love (Remastered), Cat Power, Juno Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.  One of the best moments in Juno comes in the scene just after the baby has been born.  It's quite obvious throughout the movie and at its conclusion that there is no question in Juno's mind that giving the baby up for adoption is the right and best thing for her to do.  To gloss over that and imply that it's not an incredibly tough decision would have been easy, but instead the viewers are witness to a short, perfect little moment wherein Juno quietly cries over her lost baby, comforted all the while by Paulie, the geeky, cross-country-running father of the baby.  Sea of Love is the song that plays during the scene, and it's always stuck with me.  

You Belong to Me, Carla Bruni, comme si de rein n'était. A pleasing cover of an old classic, appropriately slow and quiet for the nursery setting.  

You Got What I Need, Joshua Radin, The Rock and the Tide. You could probably pick any Joshua Radin song and insert it into a playlist suitably soothing for a baby.  He just has that kind of sound.  This particular title is a find from Grey's Anatomy, that spring of all that's emotional and heart-tugging in music.  

Hold You in My Arms, Ray La Montagne, Trouble. This was the song that played in my head before my little A was born.  I still love to hear it while I'm snuggling with him.  

Lullaby, The Dixie Chicks, Taking the Long Way.  The aptly named song is an incredibly sweet ode from a mama to her baby.  

The source of some excellent Alexi Murdoch songs, including both of the titles on my playlist.  

All My Days, Alexi Murdoch, Time without Consequence. Easily my favorite, and one of the few that have remained on the playlist since the very beginning.  I love the lyrics, particularly this line: "Now I see clearly, it's you I'm looking for, all my days..." 

Strawberry Swing, Coldplay, Viva la Vida.  I'm fairly confident that this selection is the perfect representative Coldplay song for a lullaby mix.  You might think the rhythm is a bit much for a sleeping baby, but the opposite is true.  It's an ideal song for rocking (a baby to sleep, that is).  

Dead Man's Will, Iron and Mine, Friday Night Lights Original Television Soundtrack.  Don't be thrown by the sombre title-the song is a beautiful treasure.  My lullaby mix could probably just contain it and "All My Days" on repeat and it would be perfectly suitable.  

Cocoon, Jack Johnson, On and On.  An oldie, but a goodie.  Like Joshua Radin, Jack Johnson has a singularly identifiable "sound" that can be heard in almost all of his songs, particularly the slow ones. He's definitely more diverse than Radin, but it's not exactly hard to pick his songs out of a lineup, if you know what I mean.  That is not to take away from his talent, however, and this mournful tune is one of his best.  

Devoted to You, Linda Ronstadt, Dedicated to the One I Love.  When A was a newborn, we used to listen to this whole album on repeat.  It's much more traditional than the other songs on this list as far as lullabies go, even though the majority of the songs are covers-"In My Room" and "Dedicated to the One I Love" are gems in their own right.  I'm going to make an extremely embarrassing confession right now which will illuminate why "Devoted to You" is my favorite from the album.  Most of my loyal few were teenagers in the 90's, so the names Kelly, Dylan, and Brenda shouldn't be unfamiliar to you.  I happen to vividly recall a certain episode of 90210, the beloved show that even intrigued guys with its melodramatic plots, when fratty Steve was dating high-maintenance Claire, who was performing in a campus talent show.  She wanted to sing "Devoted to You" because it's the song her long-lost (of course) mother always sang to her, and almost lost her nerve. Of course, gallant Steve (for those who don't remember, he was rather gallant when he had a decent girlfriend-remember Celeste?) came through and kept her from choking.  Anyway, ever since then, I've loved that song.  You can bet I'll never tell little A why it's on his playlist.  

Pink Moon, Nick Drake, Pink Moon (Remastered).  Possibly the best part of the baby shower thrown for me by my dazzlingly creative and thoughtful sister-in-law H was the party favor, a mix of tunes for sleepy time, each ensconced in a handmade light blue paper sleeve handprinted with the title and tastefully decorated with a Martha Stewart flair.  There are no conventional lullabies on the list-all of the songs are carefully selected, moody tunes, with artists as diverse as the Cowboy Junkies and Nina Simone.  I could have picked any of the songs to go on my own lullaby list, but this Nick Drake tune, which reminds me with nostalgic pleasure of The Shins, fits in best.  It's hard to believe it's such an old song.  

Raven, Jewel, Lullaby.  Believe it or not, my SH was the one who stumbled upon Jewel's collection of lullabies. Lullaby collections are kind of like Christmas cd's in the musical world-many famous artists have one.  Speaking of which, I don't know why Mariah Carey, the voice behind the BEST Christmas album, hasn't jumped on the lullaby bandwagon.  You KNOW she sings to Roc and Roe!  Despite the plethora of albums out there, they aren't all great (and this fact also applies to Christmas albums).  Jewel's lullabies are an exception, however, and are noteworthy because some of them, like this one, are original songs.  

Life on Earth, Band of Horses, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.  Why yes, I did include a tune from a Twilight soundtrack on my baby's lullaby mix.  Say what you will about the movies, the soundtracks are top-notch.  This song is particularly melodic and peaceful, despite its rather dark lyrics. No need to pay attention to those, though! 

Orange Sky, Alexi Murdoch, Time without Consequence.  Quite a few of Alexi Murdoch's songs have appeared on my list from time to time, but this is the one that garnered a permanent spot.  It might also be his most well-known, having been sampled in various films and shows, and is super long, but so dreamy and sweet.  

You Are My Sunshine (Pt. 2), Elizabeth Mitchell, You Are My Sunshine.  Elizabeth Mitchell has a solid reputation as a children's artist, and her more upbeat songs are great.  For my money though, I'll listen to this version of the old favorite any day over something more peppy.  I also adore "Crawdad", but it just doesn't seem right for sleeping.  

Let it be Me, Ray La Montagne, Gossip in the Grain. My brother loved this song, and I've always found it soothing.  It's a nice end to my playlist. 

Strawberry Swing artwork, courtesy www.coldplay.com

pan-roasted chicken with carrots and almonds

I'm going to be really upfront with you guys-I loathe the preparation of chicken.  I hate everything about it-the slimy texture, the flesh-like hue, the always-slightly-suspicious scent.  I know, of course, that it is one of the healthiest and most affordable sources of protein, with the added benefit of serving as a fine blank palette for a variety of different flavors.  That doesn't do much to assuage my phobia, however, and the fact that chicken blends with almost anything isn't exactly a ringing endorsement for its flavor.  I do cook with chicken on a regular basis, most often rushing through every step, burying any remnants of the packaging under layers of paper towels in the garbage, and scrubbing my hands far longer and more vigorously than necessary after I've finished my preparation.

In the past year or so, I have gotten slightly less squeamish about it, mostly out of the time crunch resulting from having a marginal amount of time to prepare our food.  It is much faster to whip a whole breast out of its package, rub it with a bit of olive oil, and slap it into a pan to roast in one grand move or two, without worrying about my chicken anxiety.  What hasn't changed, however, is the basic truth about my most oft-used form of chicken, the boneless, skinless variety: flavor is almost nonexistent.  Yes, boneless/skinless breasts are certainly lower in fat, but it's next to impossible to keep them from drying up completely, and there is just nothing exciting in their taste.  My SH practically begs me NOT to make chicken, and that has a lot more to do with its inherent blandness than my actual cooking ability, believe it or not.

Enter bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, my new chicken BFFs.  I have eaten many a roasted chicken in my day, and they are a whole different story from boring skinless breasts.  The fact that a chicken "fully dressed" can be made to taste delicious is not brand new information. I've not yet been brave enough to venture down the homemade roasted chicken path myself, but a skin-on, bone-in breast is a good place to start.  I saw this recipe in a recent issue of Bon Appétit and decided it would be my debut.  I vowed to not be afraid of the grotesque bones and yellowish skin, confident that if I trusted my recipe, everything would turn out fine, and even if it didn't, it's JUST chicken.

I am ridiculous to be afraid of a whole chicken, and even more silly to have been worried about a dish with bone-in, skin-on breasts.  They were DELICIOUS.  Warm and homey, the perfect last-roasted-dish-before summer.  My SH didn't say a word, just enjoyed his plate.  I didn't eat the slightly crispy skin, but devoured the rest of the dish, made even more enjoyable with the addition of the roasted almonds and side of lemony yogurt.  Bonus points go to the recipe for being perfectly toddler-friendly too.

Pan-Roasted Chicken with Carrots and Almonds, courtesy of Bon Appétit, May 2013

1 lb. small carrots (about 12), peeled
1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds
1 tbsp honey
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
4 skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts (3-4 lb. total)
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 small shallot, finely chopped
2 tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh tarragon (note: I didn't have any tarragon on hand and after a random Googling, decided to throw in a few fennel seeds.  The dish was probably not better or worse because of my substitution)

1. Preheat oven to 375.  Toss carrots, almonds, honey, and 2 tbsp oil on a large rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper.  Roast, tossing occasionally, until carrots are tender, 15-20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Cook chicken, skin side down, until golden brown, 5-8 minutes.  Turn chicken over, transfer skillet to oven, and roast until cooked through, 10-15 minutes longer.
3. While chicken and carrots are roasting, mix yogurt and lemon in a small bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.
4. Remove chicken and carrots from oven; transfer chicken to a large plate.  Add carrots, shallot, and tarragon to skillet and toss to coat in pan drippings.  Serve with lemon yogurt.