Eggplant with Feta Recipe from Pure, Simple Cooking

Fall just brings out the "nesting" instinct in me. Suddenly I have a renewed interest in cooking and want to explore recipes, cookbooks and just even browse pictures of food. Well, it could also be that I'm making fresh efforts to eat healthier and preparing our own food is a key part of it. I found a nice recipe this week and tweaked it just a little bit with good results.

Rather than hijack a hard earned recipe, I found a link online to the recipe and to the book that I'm enjoying this week. You can see Diana Henry's Turkish Baked Eggplant with Chile, Feta and Mint recipe from her book Pure, Simple Cooking. The picture above is from my own results, so I must say it came out very nicely.

Changes I made to the recipe included cooking three eggplants instead of four, and skipping the chile part. I am a hesitant woman with mint, but I have to be honest in that it worked very well for this dish and I may need to revise my thoughts on it. All in all I'm trying to be a bit more "herby" so I gave it a whirl.

It is indeed a hearty dish, and one half of the eggplant was enough for a person's main course. I served it with a little bit of Israeli couscous just prepared with olive oil and broth and a simple green salad. As it is nice sized portions we had dinner and two lunch meals from one recipe. As I found hearty eggplants on sale for only 99 cents a pound it turned out to be quite economical, and thrifty fresh food is a winner in my book. (Note, as I shop at a local store with a variety of world produce I am able to get fresh domestic feta for $2.99 a pound, and a small individual container of fresh Greek yogurt vs. buying a big tub.)

I picked her book up on a whim from the "hot"shelf at our Library and I've found several recipes that I can work with. It is one of the few cookbooks I've actually seem where they do hold with "simple" and stick to it. Henry did inspire me this week to do a lime and sea salt chicken quarters recipe and get a few more herbs for my kitchen. Her cooking seems to focus on fresh ingredients and stick to healthy food choices which is a winner. I think her book is a keeper for me! (um, maybe a renew?!?)

I'm also trying a different approach to dinner this week. I'm trying to cook a little bit for the next day after our supper and clean-up. I've found that if I have something prepared for the next day than I'm less likely to walk in starving after work and eat crappy food, cave to take-out or buy things that are processed. I need to restart my efforts to cook more and find time to get my tush back on the treadmill. (Note to the Huz: I'm officially asking for a used treadmill for Christmas - and I'm sure we can find a freebie on CraigList or the like.)

Tonight after supper I had the kids work about 20 minutes on a crafting project at the kitchen table while I selected my fish to thaw from the freezer, and made a baked zucchini with diced tomato dish. It took about 10 minutes to prepare and it cooked while we finished our project. Tomorrow I will have leftover brown rice from our supper tonight, fresh baked zucchini with a sprinkle of mozzarella and pan cooked fish.

Anything good going on in your kitchen with the fall harvest? Thoughts on how you are keeping it fresh in your life?

Ideas for Saving Money on Your Kid's Birthday

Following up my prior post of a Happy Birthday to Lio, I thought I would share a few ideas for making a great birthday party that is cheap and a bit Greener.

1. Have a house party, even if it is more work. I think home parties have become a dying breed as people want things with no work.....but aren't we all worth a little effort? People talk, relate and connect more at a house party. I'll take having to cook and clean over being Chuckie's bitch any day.

2. You can keep the food simple and people still have a great time. I served tasty sandwiches, corn dogs, pasta salad and a big bowl of fresh fruit. It is a kid's party and not a dinner party, so go easy on yourself.

3. I did a simple storytime, dancing, played Spider Pie (make a chocolate pudding pie in a graham cracker crust, draw a web with icing, and have kids play a game to throw candy corns in it......dessert plus a game!) and did balloon animals. You can buy balloons at the Party Store and learn basic shapes for make - and trust me, kids are not picky. If you do entertainment yourself it is a huge cash savings. (Pic above is kids in line to throw "spiders" in the pie.)

4. Recruit parents to help you so you aren't overwhelmed. I find that people like to pitch in and help as they feel like they are getting to know you. I especially find (and I hate to sound sexist) that women losen up if you ask them to help with something like setting food out or cutting cake with you.

5. Make your own pinata. I took three paper grocery bags, put candy in them, stapled and then wrapped with leftover plain red paper. When kids enter the party they put stickers on the pinata to decorate it themselves. It saves a fortune on something that kids are going to beat up in 10 minutes anyway.

6. Make your own cake - it is actually easy! A cake doesn't have to be a work of art as long as it tastes good and is fun. Each year the kids look forward to see what wacky thing I can come out with. Lio's party theme this year was Halloween, so I made a chocolate Marshmallow pumpkin Peep cake topped with a pumpkin Pez. It was a wild hit with the Kindergarten set.

Have any great thrifty ideas to share? This year we had a blast, and gave a party for a huge houseful of people (17+ kids plus the adults) for about $120.00. Share your ideas!

Happy Birthday My Child

This is a week of celebrations for us as we celebrate both a birthday and one of our favorite holidays - Halloween! I actually brought Lio home from the hospital on Halloween and completely spaced out on the holiday until trick-or-treaters started arriving. My husband was sent on a mad dash for candy as I tried to fend off sugar starved kids. (pictured at 3 days old)

Kinda hard to explain that you forgot it was Halloween because you feel like you just sat on a stick of dynamite and your crotch is left in shreds.


It is absolutely shocking to believe that he is now six years old. SIX. When did this happen? How did he grow so quickly into the bright and unique little boy that he is? (pictured as Darth Vadar blowing out his chocolate marshmellow pumpkin peep cake with friends)


I think of all the things that I could say about how it feels to be a parent, especially his parent. Much of it sounds trite, or like all the things you hear parents say but don't really understand until you are a parent yourself. But I look at this individual that I created and know that I am blessed for truly understanding the cycle of life. That if I try really hard I will try to give him a childhood of joy and experimentation.



At six he wants to be a firefighter or a baseball player, thinks he can dance like a champ, is extremely uninhibited and evidently the social chatty chatty boy. Before his birthday party one little girl called about 10 times, and another one was nervous about a party until she saw Lio. She told her mother that "Lio is so cute, and sweet, and loves me alot. I'm fine." He is now really reading, loves addition and subtraction, can craft like nobody's business and actually has muscles and a six year old six pack from running, jumping and exploring. He adores games and challenges, has a wicked sense of humor and still believes that stuff doesn't make you cool, "cool is yourself Mama."

I love it that he believes in himself. I relish the fact that he is an individual with his own little personality, even at times when it may be a challenge to me. (pictured on a fun birthday picnic with Luke and friend at a spot we love)


Happy Birthday to him, and ultimately to me for getting to live beyond what is for myself.

Looking Up to Michael J. Fox

I am currently reading Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist by Michael J. Fox. Fox is a former teen idol, actor of excellence, obviously an optimist and founder of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Disease which serves to fund scientific research in the search for a cure for Parkinson's.

I'm finding the book an inspirational read as he speaks with a clear voice of humor, resilience and level handedness about dealing with Parkinson's. I have probably no more knowledge about it than most people prior to starting this book, but have found myself poking about for more information as the topic prompts deep though on many science, research and political issues.

I know that if you read me you would probably readily see that I abhor people like Rush Limbaugh as I feel that he is probably about the most illustrative of a domestic terrorism agenda of hate for, well, pretty much anything that he himself might not believe in. He spews misinformation, hate, bias, racism, and right now even more so misconstrued financial facts. O.k., so I digress a bit......... Fox has a wonderful segment in his book where he discusses his feelings after being publicly mocked for Parkinson symptoms on the Rush Limbaugh show.

Fox believes in political actions to push for both the right and support to pursue stem cell options, and did an ad for a Democratic candidate. (When golly, he has done this for Republicans as well when they support the causes that are important to him.) Rush, in typical idiotic fashion, berated Fox and mocked his symptoms offending a whole world of Parkinson's and/or disabled people. Gotta love the humanity of Rush. Fox responded in such a graceful and respectful manner both on the media and in writing showing true grace under fire.

You can see a review of the situation, and actually (for once) something on MSNBC that I would repost. And yes, this IS an opinion piece of a quasi-journalist cracking on Rush. (Note: I *heart* Air America.) But then again we know most anything on MSNBC or FOX is news-o-tainment and not actually news as it violates basic codes of journalism to begin with. But I found this rather funny and thought you might as well.

The follow up interview that Fox gave (first You-Tube) truly shows grace, dignity paired with thoughtful introspection. He took a bully down without resorting to the tactics that make Limbaugh the true tool that he is. And by he way, how is that blood of America feeling on your hands Rush? People like him serve to polarize rather than prompt intelligent discussion, and try to make each other view our neighbor or friend as immoral as wrong if they simple may have another viewpoint. Fox took a higher path in explaining the issues rather than the negative verbiage to try to attract a viewer a la Jerry Springer.

To return to the subject of the book, it is a must read for anyone in the Parkinson's realm. I think it is an excellent read for the rest of us that would like to see for a moment how precious our time is, and how we all have the right to speak on topics of which prompt our passion. Fox describes feeling as if in order to find his life's work, he had to quit his "day" job of acting. His evolution is quite an asset for the rest of us as his quest for research funding may also aid people with spinal chord injuries, diabetes, and more

And just as he took down a big windbag with much more style than I or most people can, so I also wish for him to take down a bully of a disease that I now know has touched millions.

Last week I wrote ever single one of my Congress peeps in support of comprehensive health care reform with public options (ah, that is another post) for the sake of our nation. Next on my agenda is to write every single one of my Congress peeps....again....because I relish writing lovingly crafted yet demanding letters to the folks whose salary I pay.......in support of expanded medical research as it can stand to significantly improve the quality of life, welfare and well being of a good deal of our citizenry.

If you would like to be inspired by this gentle giant of a man, grab a copy of Always Looking Up. You may just walk away with a bit more of an optimist inside yourself as well.

Nature Hanging

I Love this Wall Hanging, originally uploaded by rainbook101.

I would like to try and replicate this. What a beautiful, natural piece of art goodness! I think I'll send my boys on a stick mission this weekend. How simple and pretty.

The Fun Theory

Wesley from Mountain Mama posted this, and I couldn't resist sharing. Sharing, not hijacking ;-), promise! What a fantastic idea, loved it. The only thing I don't get is why the escalator keeps running. Seems like you could switch it to an as needed basis and save the electricity.

I think I am just still opposed to automatic doors, buttons, elevators and the like unless you actually need them due to a physical limitation. I think we've transcended from "assistance" and into "laziness" in some respects in our society.

I like the idea of fun for Library planning. Maybe not necessarily a keyboard with noise, but what are ways we can incorporate fun into our Library experience? Dignity meets whimsy?

I'm pleased to see that the Fountaindale Public Library now has all of the renderings of what the new green Library will look like. The beautiful airy staircase will be central - and encourage people to take the stairs. I participated in focus groups for this endeavor.......and I'm so happy to see the patron input coming to life!

If you follow the links through to the Photo Bucket site check out the staircase designs. It is ;ight, open, airy and central to the design. A beautiful green roof to offset emissions! The theme will be a Library in a park. Perfect!

I Hope You Get Down and Dirty

This isn't a picture of our day today, but just looked like a nice picture to share.

Today I had a really stressful day, the kind that just chews you up from one end of the day to the other. And don't get me wrong.....I love my job. Some days are just harder than others as with most good jobs in the world. It is what it is on these days and we just make it through as best as we can.

After I picked the kids up from school I was just dying for a breath of fresh air and nature. We went straight from school to a little spot off the DuPage River that I like. Stress be damned, I need to dig my toes in some grass.

We ran over chilly grass, discovered an apple tree with a few tasty apples we could pluck, ran on a small "island," threw rocks and listened to the geese call to each other. The water rippled and suddenly I felt like I could breathe again. Dinner could wait, we needed some earth Zen.

As a beautiful sunset hit and the dark faded in we rock hopped off the little island of grasses and shells. Lukie had made it over without Mama's help and tried to get back. Ooops! He splashed into a good deal of chilly water and muck. He started crying that he didn't want to be dirty and muddy, and oh....he is sorry. Oh gracious, getting dirty means that you had more fun. Don't ever be afraid of getting dirty!

As I stripped off his wet socks and shoes in the car I think I was prompted by my stressful day combined with Mama hormones and gave the guys a little talk on the way home that I hope they remember. The gist of it is that I HOPE you get to grow up getting dirty. Dirty means that you had fun, that you lived in the moment, that you dived in the mud and experimented. I hoped you never had to spend time in your life being worried about always being clean.

Maybe I'm a shitty daredevil Mama, but on the way home I told them that I hoped that they:

1. Got to ride a motorcycle really fast in their life.
2. That they got to jump out of a plane if that is what they wanted to.
3. That they got to go redneck mudriding in a big ass truck.
4. That they got to backpack through the woods.
5. That they got to see a bear up close and in person.
6. That they got down and dirty in nature so that they could truly live.
7. That they had adventure, in however the adventure comes to them.


I told them that I wanted to be a Mama that let them live instead of always being afraid of what living had to offer. I told them that I didn't ever want them to be afraid to try what they wanted to try that was right for them. Fear doesn't do anything but capture you in fear.

That my Mom was always afraid of what people think or say, what to do or not do because you could in some form or fashion be hurt. That it made me 100x the wild child because all fear bred in me was the desire to break those bonds of fear. I want them to leap beyond what people think of them, and never be afraid to get down in dirty in life or the living of it.

I do talk about bad fear things like smoking is awful for you, and driving should always be done respectfully......the things that we should have a smidgen of fear about or at least a small amount of respect for. Maybe wear your safety harness when you go riding in a big ass truck? Adventures with a respect for your own life and others.

I found it a hoot that Lio was saying, "Oh yes! I want to do that" whereas Luke was saying, "Oh no, that would be scary." Their personalities already dictate a little bit what their own personal adventures may be do a degree. Lio will be the one jumping off a cliff whereas Lukie may be the one with mind challenges. It all remains to be seen.

O.k., so many I'm too deep for 4 and 5 year old boys. But I figure it is never too early to tell them it is o.k. to drink every ounce of juice their life gives them. In the end people's assumptions won't matter, and possessions fade away. I'd love for them to remember me as the Mama that said it was o.k. to get down and dirty with the business of living life.

Snuggled Up at the Cubs

Snuggled Up at the Cubs, originally uploaded by rainbook101.

Yes, that was my children skipping school to go see the Cubs v. Pirates at Wrigley Field. You can see a few more pictures on our Flickr site if you would like to explore hot doggies and baseball pictures.

We had a client give my husband a gift of Cubs tickets.......so thank you to the thoughtful freebie! Lio seems to breathe for baseball, and dreams of playing for a professional baseball team when he isn't fighting fires as a firefighter. Luke is more partial to football, but thoroughly enjoys baseball games when there are nibbles involved.

I'm feeling a mite guilty for calling Lio's Kindergarten and telling them that Lio had a family function to attend and would not be in school. Lukie's in preschool and they are a bit more understanding about these things. But I figure that we only have x number of days allotted in life, and building memories with our family is something that will be carried on through a lifetime. Free baseball tickets, a snuggle blanket on a crisp fall day, missing school to see Chicago and baseball.

We should all be so lucky.

Early Fall

Early fall is upon us, and the guys and I have been out looking for signs all through the weekend. A walk, a nature hike, moments in the woods and picnics under the blue sky. There are rocks to be thrown, wishes to be made in the wind and of course we have to look for fairies in downed trees.

We will be out at every opportunity now as we see the life flow out from the trees in a showery burst of color, sending their tree spirit into blustery winds. Of course I cringe at the coming winter, never a good thought with two active boys. But for now we will enjoy the winds that somehow seem heavy with possibility, rousing our spirit for a few last explorations.

Dealing With a Passive Agressive Parent - Part II

This week I got an incredibly touching private letter from a reader that was relating to my passive aggressive parent rant /slash/ expressive post. I'm feeling inclined to write about it as a follow up because I think that there are a few things that I'd like to say because they stand the chance to help others.

Mainly that this post now comes up as #5 when you Google search for dealing with a passive aggressive parent. I'm not saying that because I'm necessarily proud of being in the top picks for ranting about this topic, but mostly saying it because there are a darn lot of us that seem to search this topic.

The PA post, my Whale Poop Post , and my From My Cold Dead Hands post seem to be the top hits, so I've felt that there are a mite few of us that slog through the crap of life at times. And maybe we have a curiosity about other people's crap. So my top three posts of my little blog aren't about being Green, books, parenting, or maybe even inspiring. They are about sorrow and shit, violence and death. You have to see the humor in it.

It seems like I get 'round about a letter a week now from people that want to privately respond, give feedback, or just simply say hello. We all need to feel like somebody is listening, or that we are heard because a PA relative can truly make you feel like you are the nutty one. There is a need to relate, to express, to say I understand because I've experienced it too.

To each of you I freely say, please......write it. You are not alone because I've received a good deal of private responses, and on my hit counter each day there are many of us. I won't say who you are, or your name, or what you said. Just know that you are heard, and there is an expression each week from somebody saying thank you for writing it. And to each of you - I'd encourage you to find a space in your life to write it, to express it, to release it.

My follow up to the post is probably not what anybody actually wants to hear. My Mom and I still do not speak and are officially estranged. And oddly enough I have to be alright with it for now, even though I know the clock ticks on our lives. I think I feel sadder about it because my children already lost their grandfather (my father) and the other grandparents are an ocean away. I know she would like to be more of a grandmother, but oddly the children are tied to me. There is a barrier here, though not intentional.

After the giant blow-out my Mom flew back early. The next month she entered into major surgery for female things - seems as if parts of yourself can actually fall out of yourself. Shudder. I found this out as my brother-in-law called from the hospital - he felt like I had the right to know. My sister did not call as she felt like she needed to follow my Mom's wishes. Whether that is right or not I don't really know. To me it felt like a massive passive aggressive dig.......ha HA.....I'm sicky, sicky and now you get to feel like shit. What an awful daughter to yell at the sick mother, even if she was a completely evil shrew coming at me with every bit of venom she had. Oh, was that intentional? I know it wasn't. That is just what it felt like. Dammit, I cannot even have an honest fight with her and have that be it.

I had a long talk with her best friend on the phone. A strong point that I made was that it is past time for my mom to be on insulin as well. What I realized in retrospect is how poorly she manages her diabetes, and how she will not listen nor believe what you are saying. Her mental health, cognitive ability, memory and mood are all affected. Take a person that is already passive aggressive and crank it up with diabetes and it makes for a toxic cocktail.

Her best friend agreed, she knew it was time for her to be on insulin as well. We discussed the fact that she is declining, etc. It totally shocked me to realize that she cannot even admit any of the struggles that we have to even her best friend. She is so afraid of what other people will think of her, always has she been this way through our life. Her best friend had no idea she was send home early, nor that we were not speaking for now.

What I conveyed to her friend at the time was just because you have a fight with somebody doesn't mean that you don't love them. That I'm sorry. That I loved her. And so on. And we have yet to speak.

And at this point I don't know if I can, or want to. Regardless of the issue there will always be the call of the fact that she is my mother. Ultimately I know that in many ways that cannot, nor will be a healthy relationship because I cannot control the health, emotional health nor actions of another.

For now to us to have a relationship there has to be an apology on her side, or at least an acknowledgement. Quite frankly I doubt something like that will ever be forthcoming. Mainly because I think she doesn't know how to apologize to people nor ever realize how deeply she hates so many things in her life. And I'm wary as frequently after a Mom incident she shortly forgets any lessons that may have been learned and immediately goes back to how she treats others.

Can I myself live that and forgive my mother? I do not know yet. I think I'm still working it out in my head.

Now almost a year later I still have fully mixed feelings about this. Mostly because I'm afraid my mother will die and we won't have spoken, and that my children will grow up not knowing their grandmother. But I don't know if I can know her anymore........and I don't know how to handle that situation.

As an adult that lost a parent far too early I'm aware of the mortality issue, especially as I know my Mom's health is not very good. But I don't know if I can reconcile the reality of letting her in only from the fear of losing her. But a year of time also eases the sting of the situation and I don't know if I should make further gestures. I don't know if I can.

I guess I'll let you know the end of the story as I know it. After all, we are all mostly a work in progress now aren't we? And for those that deal with their own situations.........it is o.k. if you don't know the end of your story either. Sooner or later it will write itself out. You are not alone.

I'm including Sia's Breathe Me for this post, mainly because it just feels right.