Summer cocktails

We're heading to Maine next week, and I'm really looking forward to hanging out at the beach, seeing my adorable nephew Luke, and having built-in babysitters (my parents!) for a few nights so Evan and I can catch up with my sister, my brother, and his wife over a few drinks. In addition some chilled bottles of rose and a couple of six-packs of good beer, I've been thinking of bringing ingredients to make a cocktail or two. Because there's no better season for a tipple than sum sum summertime. Here are a few of my favorites:

Michelada: Sort of like a Bloody Mary mixed with beer. Sounds strange, and it is a little, but it's also perfectly refreshing and delicious, and not at all sweet. This recipe uses Clamato, but I'd stick with regular tomato juice.

Spiked Arnold Palmer: Unsweetened iced tea is kind of like seltzer to me in that I can drink it by the gallon. Add lemonade and vodka, and you have yourself a Sunday afternoon in August.

Sangria: Wine with more booze added...and then you can nibble on the boozy fruit!

Mojito: Sure it's passe, and bartenders hate when you order it, but the combination of mint, lime, rum, and seltzer (or try this version with champagne instead) SCREAMS summer. Just make it in the privacy of your own home.

Margarita: So ubiquitous that Jimmy Buffett wrote a song about it, but there's a reason it's been one of the most popular drinks since Esquire named it "drink of the month" in 1953: made right, it will cool you down and give you a summer evening to remember (hehe or forget...).

Also, don't forget about Dark n Stormies. Delicious, even when it's bright and sunny.

P.S. What does your favorite drink say about you? This round up cracked me up.


*Top photo from nydailynews.com. All others are credited in the links that correspond to their recipes.

Popsicle maker

Hmmm...this seems like a bit of a waste of money, but I just saw a Facebook post from my favorite local kid store, My Brooklyn Baby, singing the praises of the Zoku Duo Quick Pop Maker and now I really want one. It freezes two homemade popsicles in seven minutes. Kind of a perfect summer gadget for a mom of twin toddlers, right?

Unfortunately, Jack would still have to learn that he's only allowed one popsicle per day.

How to: cut an onion

I'm making chicken fajitas tonight and I just finished prepping everything - marinated some chicken, sliced up some peppers and onions - for cooking off later. Every time I work with onions, I get a little thrill when I chop them (how's that for being a cooking dork?) because it's one of the few cooking techniques that I've mastered. I actually don't remember where I learned the proper way to do it (maybe it was either in high school home ec or from the Food Network?) but it's a great skill to have because onions are everywhere.

So how do you cut an onion properly? I'm going to let Gordon Ramsey give you the full lesson, because he's much more bad ass than I am, and everything sounds better with a British accent anyway. My bit of advice to you would be this: get a good knife. We have this set of Wustof Classic knives and it makes such a difference when you're slicing and dicing.

Twin Tuesday: You gotta do you.

You know that show, What Not to Wear (final season is this summer!)? Stacy London and Clinton Kelly take an unfortunately dressed person (usually a woman) and give them a major wardrobe makeover and a mini life makeover. Many of the guests on the show are moms who have..."given up." They wear sweatpants and never wash their hair, and I remember watching the show a few years ago and thinking, I will never be like that when I have kids.

And now, here I am. Looking like the "before" on What Not to Wear. More like Mayim Bialik than I ever wanted to be even when she wore all those fabulous hats as Blossom many moons ago. My uniform is yoga pants (and I haven't done yoga in over a year, sooo...) and a dirty-ish t-shirt. I mean, it's sad. Stacy and Clinton would not approve. Of my clothes, or my hair. I used to have really great hair...and skin, too. And now everything is just limp and sallow.

What's the point of telling you all this? It's not because I'm vain or fishing for compliments (which I know, dear friends, would not be true because I've looked in the mirror lately and it's bad), none of that. It's not because I can't get rid of baby weight that I can't fit into nice clothes - I was never svelte to begin with and "nice clothes" to me have always been Banana Republic or Anthropologie instead of "regular clothes" from the Gap. I was never a clothes horse, but I always had style. I could be considered put-together, sexy, trendy, yet classic. I loved to look good, and now...I just don't.

The point is, someone recently asked me how motherhood has changed me. And at first I could think only of the amazing ways it has: it's made me more sensitive and patient. More responsible. More conscious of how I treat other people, from the guy in the bodega on the corner to my husband. I can say with all honesty, motherhood has made me a better citizen of the world.

But there's another side to it. The harsh, unfunny truth: I don't take care of myself anymore. And the entire time I'm not caring about myself, I sing the ballad of the mother as martyr, ohhh it's because these babies are just taking up so much of my time. I need to put them first, so where do I come in?

It is a hard balance, but I admit, I'm not even trying. Jack and Nellie always look fantastic (I'm convinced people must think I'm the nanny because there's no way Dirty Shirt is mother to those two beautiful babes), they eat incredibly healthy meals, get enough sleep and playtime and social interaction and educational enrichment. Me? For breakfast/lunch I wolfed down a cheddar scone and a chocolate chip cookie and my 3rd coffee of the day. I never go to bed early enough. I haven't read a book in...I can't remember how long. I go months without seeing close friends and doing the things I used to love to do. And I've stopped caring about how I look, not in that self-assured, "I look how I look and that's ok" kind of way...but in a, "I look pretty awful so please just don't look at me" kind of way.

I'm the stay-at-home-mom who's given up on herself, and, for me, it's been the most unexpected part of motherhood. How did this happen? And how do I even begin to change back? Going to bed early might help. Eating fruit when my kids eat fruit, little things like that. But I think, most importantly, I have to remind myself that even though Jack and Nellie are small now, they're growing more observant every day. And I want them to know the real me - the woman who had enough energy to start her own baking business in addition to her stressful full time job; the woman who loved to read and go to the movies and restaurants and walk around Soho on a Friday evening; the woman who enjoyed conversations with friends and strangers and was full of life; the woman who wore yoga pants to yoga; and the woman who loved to feel pretty in addition to all those things.

Maybe the cliched lesson to learn from all this is that if I feel better about myself, I'll be a better mother. Or maybe I won't, and I'll just feel better. Isn't that enough of a reason? Either way, it's time to start putting myself first.

Or at least first and a half.

*Photo courtesy of parents.com

Emily's Bridal Shower

Remember I mentioned that three of Evan's closest friends got engaged recently? Well, this weekend, I went to shower #2. Emily and Mike are one of the chicest couples I know, what with his architect's aesthetic and her amazing wardrobe, and the shower was a testament to their style.

It was held at Telepan, a beautiful, airy farm-to-table restaurant on the Upper West Side, one of my favorite neighborhoods (think: You've Got Mail, Zabar's, where Ted Mosby lives, and my first home in New York).

Emily's adorable bridal party chose a delicious menu and the food was amazing. We started off with a decadent assortment of sweet and savory breads (including banana chocolate walnut, hello!). My burger was the best I've had in awhile.

We played some fun games, but my favorite was a version of He Said/She Said where we were given a Facebook status update and had to guess whether it was from Mike or Emily. Hilarious and pretty brilliant. We also made those origami fortune games from middle school fame (or infamy?); I'm hoping poor Emily gets through her wedding day without any of the mishaps we predicted.

The favors were simple, cute, and tasty: M&Ms dedicated to the bride and groom.

Emily looked gorgeous and had a great time lunching with her friends and opening gifts (their bridal registry is, of course, amazing and so stylish). 

I'm so very excited for this wedding! Congrats Emily!!

Time to sit back and unwind

There is so much I love about summer. On perfect sunny days like today, I like to flip through my memories of the season, like a rolodex of senses and sentiments. Salty Wells Beach air; lemony ice water from a thick plastic water bottle at field hockey camp; the freezing air inside the State House hitting my face, sweaty from the walk through the Boston Common; clam chowder; Starbuck's iced coffee; al fresco dining on smelly city street corners; heady flirtations; long walks through Manhattan at night; beach houses full of friends and fruity drinks (anyone remember the Pink Lieutenant?); hanging out in the Public Gardens at our wedding.

Summers are a bit different now that there are babies. Two years ago at this time, I was very newly pregnant - it was too early to take a test, but deep down I knew. And last year, when everyone was posting "Call Me Maybe" memes on Facebook, I had no idea what they were talking about because I had never heard the song! I was so overwhelmed with having two infants, I barely remember last summer at all (I do remember messing up my lower back while breastfeeding and spending a week at my parents' house recovering).

Jack and Nellie are still too little to make summer memories, but I'm planning to create some anyway and show them the photos later. I'm looking forward to 4th of July in Maine, trips to the carousel in Brooklyn Bridge Park, lots of ice cream at Ample Hills, Prospect Park picnics with wine juice boxes (for the grown ups), and even running through the sprinklers at the playground (which still skeeves me out, but I guess it's a NYC thing so we're going for it).

This weekend, I'm buying some J.Crew flip-flops and Sugar perfume from Fresh, getting a summer-y pedicure (maybe this color?), and drinking outside. What are you doing to celebrate the season? Maybe this list of summer hits from the past 50 years will inspire you. (I really want to listen to Lisa Loeb now.)

Also, remember when we all really liked Will Smith?


Happy summer everyone! Have a great weekend!

Dinner tonight (or maybe not): Poached lemon chicken with leeks

The other night I made Mark Bittman's lemon chicken with leeks, which is buttery and light and lick-the-plate-clean good. The perfect springtime meal.

Jack and Nellie, however, couldn't have disagreed more. They liked the chicken enough to nibble on it between bites of pasta, but the leeks didn't go over well. Nellie kept trying them, shuddering, giving me a "what did you just make me eat?!" look, pouting, and going back to her pasta. Jack took one bite and proceeded to methodically drop each piece on the floor.

Was it the texture? The added bitterness of the lemon? Maybe next time they'll be able to articulate their problem with this cousin of the onion. (Or maybe they're just 15 months old.) Until then, this will be an adults-only dish in our house.

From Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything, which is one of the most wonderful and comprehensive cookbooks we own.

4 tbsp butter or extra virgin olive oil (we used butter)
2 leeks, washed well and diced, including some of the green part, or 2 small onions, diced
½ cup dry white wine or water
½ cup chicken or vegetable stock or water
½ tsp chopped fresh thyme or tarragon leaves or a good pinch dried
Approximately 1½ lbs boneless white-meat chicken (breasts, cutlets, or tenders), cut into 1- to 1½-inch chunks
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper

flat leaf parsley

Put half the butter or oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter is melted or the oil is hot, add the leeks and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, stock, and herb; bring to a boil and let bubble for a minute or two.

Add the chicken, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the meat is barely cooked through, 5 or 6 minutes. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and keep warm.

Turn the heat up to high and cook the sauce rapidly, stirring occasionally, until just about ¾ cup remains; this will take 5 to 10 minutes. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the lemon juice, then stir in the remaining butter or oil, a bit at a time. If you’re using oil, add it gradually, stirring vigorously with the back of a spoon as you do so.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and return the chicken to the sauce to heat through. 

(I added parsley for the photo, but you can see it was wilted so I removed it before eating.)

We served it to the tots with some pasta but ate ours with crusty ciabatta, and it was freakin' delicious, no matter what those crazy kids say.

Twin Tuesdays: Convos with my 2-year-old

We were out of town for most of last week so I haven't had a ton of time to write (or, er, take a shower) since we got home on Sunday night. Luckily, I've discovered this hilarious and kind of creepy video series on  Youtube that will hopefully make up for this week's lack of insightful and witty prose (nothing makes up for the shower thing, though...I'm jumping in once I wrap up this post). Have you seen it? The videos are pee-your-pants funny - I can just picture the kinds of conversations we're going to have with J and N in the coming months.

1

You can see the other two episodes (Ep 3 might be my favorite) here. Enjoy!!

Girly sneakers

Nellie's feet are so tiny and dainty and she can wiggle her toes on demand, which just cracks me up. The problem is, it's hard to find sturdy shoes that fit - most toddler shoes start at size 4 or 5 and are way too roomy. But I'm planning on getting her a pair of pink Supergas this week. How cute are they?

I have some in grey, but I may pick up a pink pair to match. After all, I only have a few years to dress us alike, right?

Life's a Circus: Lucas's first birthday party!

 

Evan and I met Simone and Paul when Jack and Nellie were very little and Simone was very pregnant with her son Lucas (the babies are exactly three months apart). They live in our building and we became fast friends, hanging out at the park, going to walks to Target, drinking lots of coffee (and sometimes after-hours wine). She's one of those "thank goodness I have her in my life" people and Lucas is just as sweet and friendly as his mom.

Simone has great style, so it's not shocking that Lucas's circus-themed birthday party was pretty wonderful. Simone and Paul held the party at our local gastropub, Putnam's. Like many Brooklyn restaurants, they're super accommodating to kids - we've been going there since J and N were little cabbages in their snap-n-go. Their downstairs party room is cozy and awesome - it reminded me of wine caves.

The food was fantastic: cheese, charcuterie, olives, sirloin sliders, crabcakes, the list goes on. Jack and Nellie were partial to these tasty mini grilled ham, cheese, and apple sandwiches.

Simone made mountains of delicious brownies and cupcakes, adorned with sweet circus toppers.

 

The creative DIY touches lent an even cozier feel to the occasion. Simone strung together photos of Lucas's "month birthdays" as well as other special photos of Lucas with family and friends.

There was a little sign urging guests to write a birthday message to Lucas on the back of a postcard. (Also notice the ABC is for Circus book - adorable!)

 

 

The goodie bags were inspired by boxes of Cracker Jacks, filled with caramel popcorn and a few hidden treasures: a rubber duckie shaped like a circus performer and a few sheets of circus stickers.

It was a fun and lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon! Happy birthday, Lucas! We love you!

Dinner Tonight: Little {elbows} scuie scuie

Giada de Laurentiis is one of my favorite celebrity chefs. She's classically trained and Italian - certainly not just a pretty a face. I usually find her recipes online, but I do own her cookbook, Giada's Family Dinners, and I find myself reaching for it a lot - she really masters the combination of comfort and wholesome, which I guess is the hallmark of Italian food in and of itself. 

Case in point: Little Thimbles Scuie Scuie. I made this last Friday for Jack and Nellie and planned on serving it to them two nights in a row. Evan and I were about to order a pizza when he took a bite of the pasta and said, "nope, we're eating this." It's simple and simply delicious.

1 1/2 cups (about 6 ounces) ditalini pasta (thimble-shaped pasta) or other small tube-shaped pastas such as elbow macaroni (which is what I used)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
5 plum tomatoes (about 1 pound), chopped (I used a 15 oz can of organic chopped tomatoes because that's what I had in my pantry)
8 ounces cold fresh mozzarella, drained, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
8 large fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often to prevent the pasta from sticking together, about 8 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a heavy large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and saute just until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add the cooked pasta. Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the cheese and basil, and toss to coat. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt. Spoon the pasta into small serving bowls and serve immediately.

Twin Tuesdays: Ten things you shouldn't say to twin parents

When I was pregnant, I was often proud and happy to talk about having twins with anyone who was willing. I'm a talker (you're not surprised, are you?), and I was so excited and anxious about what was happening that it was hard to keep my feelings to myself.

But as weeks turned into months turned into "they're here!" I noticed that I was getting a lot of the same questions and comments over and over again, and most of them were focused on the fact that I was carrying two babies. Even though the twin birth rate in this country is fairly high (about 33 in 1,000 births are twins), I got the feeling that I was looked at as a bit of a science experiment. I asked some other twin parents to weigh in, and it does seem that there's a trend. When they discover they're in the presence of twins, strangers have no problem asking even the most personal questions. It's mostly amusing, but also a little disarming and occasionally demoralizing.

So, while we know that most people are just sweetly curious, I can tell you there a few things a twin parent never wants to hear again. Here are my top 10:

1. Two babies?! Oh my goodness, how are you going to handle that? This is often accompanied by a look of combined horror and pity, "as if no one ever had two kids at once before" says twin dad George. I don't know, they're your kids, you handle it.

*Also, it's not like it's three: my friend Georgia said that she once met a woman a party who was pregnant with triplets and gave her that same AH! YOU ARE SO SCREWED! BETTER YOU THAN ME! look she'd always get from singleton moms. "I felt like such a hypocrite!" she told me. (Sorry parents of higher multiples :)

2. Wow, you have your hands full! The postpartum equivalent to the above comment. Yes. Yes I do, thanks for noticing.

3. Twins? Oh so did you do in vitro? (Also: How did that happen? Or: Are they natural?) Jack and Nellie were actually "natural" or "spontaneous" (seriously! that's what they're called!) so I only found this question mildly invasive, but still a little shocking. How did people think it was ok to just come out and ask that? Many twin parents do have trouble conceiving and "end up" with twins after in vitro treatments or hormone injections. Is this something that anyone really wants to discuss with a stranger? And also, what does it matter?

4. Are they identical? I understand: people hear "twins" and they think of those Doublemint ads from the days of yore. But I always feel like saying, "Stop and think for a second. I have a boy and a girl. Are they identical?" instead of just gritting my teeth and saying "no." I still get this question a lot, and even though Jack and Nellie look nothing alike, people will often say, "Oh wow, they really look like twins." Yes, wow, it's uncanny, isn't it? Grumble. Almost as bad a the follow up question...

5. How do you tell them apart? Well...they're not identical...they're a boy and a girl. Come on! They look so different that if I told you I was doing a nanny share for two families, it would be easier to believe! I kid you not, a waitress at our local gastropub was convinced she'd never, ever, be able to tell them apart, even if they were her kids. I just laughed and said "you could always just check inside their diapers."

6. A boy and a girl, you're done! Right, except if I want a third. Does that make make me weird if I want a another baby? Because the look on your face says it does. I kind of love to see twin parents with a third little one. Way to buck the system, bizarre little family with twins that don't even look alike.

7. Oh you're going to have a c-section. For sure. For sure, I did have a c-section. Many twin moms do. But many don't: my friend Jen birthed her girls the old fashioned way. And talk about being seen as a science experiment: when Jen took her babies to the doctor for their 24 hour visit, the head of pediatrics walked in to the exam room unexpectedly and "just HAD to meet the double vaginal mom." Either way, it's none of your business how those two babies get out of our bodies. Oh, and if I had a dime for every time I heard the word vaginal in my third trimester...

8. You want to breastfeed? How's that going to work? Well...two breasts, two babies. (Although I never did get the hang of tandem feeding.) Breastfeeding twins seems slightly more difficult that breast feeding one baby but just like our singleton counterparts, some twins moms breastfeed and pump exclusively, some do a combination of breastmilk and formula, and some switch to formula almost immediately. And none of us need a stranger's advice or opinion about it.

9. Are you nervous you'll deliver really early? Yes, I am, but you're sort of the last person with whom I want to discuss this fear. The myth is that if you're having twins, they'll most likely be born early and really small. Mine were born by scheduled c-section at 38 weeks (full gestation for twins) and were both over 7 and a half pounds. You know what they say about people who assume?

10. Do they speak their own twin language? Now that Jack and Nellie are 15 months, I'm getting this question regularly. I've done a little bit of research, and it seems rare that twins develop their own language, especially with a set of talkative parents. I suppose only time will tell if they once again fail at being stereotypical twins, but so far it seems as though they're only typical toddlers. Sorry weird stranger with too much twin knowledge.

Weekend

This weekend we spent a lot of time hanging out as a little family. We put laundry and cleaning aside in favor of long naps and lots of play time.

On Saturday afternoon, we went to our friend Lucas's awesome first birthday party. We loved that it was literally across the street from our apartment building. Stay tuned for a full post on this adorable celebration.

Sunday was gorgeous and we spent all morning outside in Brooklyn Bridge Park, one of my favorite places. Jack and Nellie had a great time running up and down the waterfront and climbing up the big, shallow concrete steps that lead to the huge carousel (we'd planned to take them for a ride, but alas, they fell asleep).

We met up with our friends Mike and Emily for a quick lunch at Smorgasburg, a weekly outdoor food market featuring local vendors and restaurants. We munched on schnitzel sandwiches and all shared a pie shake, an intense and delicious concoction created by the ladies of Butter and Scotch. There were a few to choose from but the Fat Drunk Arnold Palmer (sweet tea ice cream and shaker lemon pie omg) was rich and refreshing at the same time.

On this rainy Monday, I'm counting the hours and minutes until Saturday...

Peonies

My mom just sent me these photos of the peonies she picked from the bush outside her house. Aren't they gorgeous? Peonies are my absolute favorite flower. They're so lush and romantic. I used them all over my wedding, including my white and pink bouquet, pictured below.

What's your favorite flower? I used to love yellow roses because they're referenced in an over-the-top romantic passage in the Age of Innocence. I also went through a gerbera daisy phase in my early 20s but I don't really like them anymore.