Whole Wheat Naan

Better late than never, right? I have certain Type A tendencies…and sticking to a religious blog schedule is one of them. I post on Monday and Thursday mornings, and I make that happen come rain or shine. BUT, I am realizing that babies throw all types of schedules by the way side. Lucy got sick last week…and I’m still trying to catch up. Papers to grade, photographs to edit, kitchens to clean…the list goes on and on.

However, Ryan and I had an amazing weekend in Boulder with Lucy. Yes, Boulder. We ended up cancelling our trip to Austin due to Lucy’s virus. We were terribly disappointed, but we knew that traveling with a sick baby would have been a bad idea (for us, for Lucy, and for all the passengers on board). Thankfully, she rebounded from the virus and was acting like her normal self by Thursday, so we decided to take advantage of a beautiful Colorado weekend and make a short trip to Boulder.

While there, we ate well. VERY well. But perhaps the highlight of our culinary experiences came on Friday night, at a little strip mall restaurant called Curry-n-Kebob. Lucy had naan for the first time (which she loved) and Ryan and I stuffed ourselves silly with Indian curries and jasmine rice.

Unfortunately, we don’t have an Indian restaurant that even begins to compare with Curry-n-Kebob here in the Springs, so I’ve made it my mission to recreate as many Indian dishes as I can at home. I started today with this naan bread. A freshly cooked piece of naan is better than most any dessert, in my book. Soft and buttery, I could eat a whole batch on its own. I made these naan with a combination of bread and whole wheat flour, and I was pleasantly surprised at how soft and light the loaves stayed. If you love naan and feel like you can’t make it at home, TRY THIS RECIPE. You’d be surprised at how easily it comes together. Naan is by far one of the easiest yeast recipes I’ve made.

Whole Wheat Naan

3/4 cup water

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

2 teaspoons sugar, divided

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup bread flour

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons whole milk yogurt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup melted butter (optional)

In a small bowl, whisk together warm water (100 degrees Fahrenheit), yeast, and one teaspoon sugar. Allow to sit until frothy, about ten minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together flours, salt, and baking powder. Then, whisk yogurt and olive oil into yeast mixture. Gently stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until a wet dough begins to form. Do not overmix. The dough should come together in a sticky ball. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel. Allow to sit and rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours.

Sprinkle flour over dough and form into six balls (adding more flour if necessary). On a clean surface, roll each ball of dough into a round about 8 inches wide and 1/4 inch thick.

Warm a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat until almost smoking. Gently lay one piece of dough in center of skillet. Allow to cook for one minute. The dough should begin to bubble. Flip and continue to cook for an additional minute. Then, cover your skillet and allow to cook for an additional 30-45 seconds. Remove from skillet and brush with melted butter (optional). Repeat with remaining pieces of dough.

9 months of Lucille Amelia

1. You love watching. I take you outside and your mouth moves, forming secret words, as you watch the people and the cars and the animals pass us by. The ants on our porch delight you. The old women who wave and giggle at the grocery store charm you. The wind that blows through our sleepy neighborhood captivates you. I love seeing you experiencing our world.

2. You sleep poorly. No. You sleep with a desire to have us close by you at all times. We snuggle, we nurse, we wake, and we talk. It’s okay that we don’t sleep through the night right now. We will. Eventually. I cherish each moment with you…even moments at 2am.

3. You love animals. Each morning, you wake up and say, “Da-da-da-da” which translates as “Dog, come here!” I call Margot into our bedroom and you bounce up and down in excitement. On most mornings, you squeal when she jumps up on our bed.

4. You eat food. Real, grown-up food like avocado toast, roasted chicken, broccoli, sliced apples, banana oatmeal, apple muffins….

5. You still love to nurse. And I promise my dear, we’ll nurse for as long as you need to. It’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever done.

6. You drink coffee. Not really. But you come with me to get a cappuccino each day. We sit at our coffee shop and everyone knows you. They smile and laugh and coo, and you respond in kind. Right now, you’re sitting beside me and chewing on an apple. It’s one of my favorite parts of our day, and I think it’s one of your favorite parts too.

7. You’re learning to talk. You say “ma-ma” for me, “paw-paw” for your dad, “na-na” for milk or nursing, “da-da” for dogs.

8. You are mobile. You crawl faster than some people walk. You pull yourself up on our couch, our chairs, our tables, our bed, our legs. It won’t be much longer until you’re walking, and then running, and then jumping. I try not to think too much about how big and fast you’ll soon become.

9. You are light. You have brought us such joy and laughter after a season of such sadness. I am daily reminded of how beautiful life can be. You have brought such hope to our family, and we’re blessed to have you in our care. We love you, sweet Lucille Amelia.

French Yogurt Cake with Greek Yogurt Frosting

Lucy sleeps beside me in bed, and early Saturday morning, I woke to a feverish face nuzzling into my stomach. A relaxing weekend quickly filled with panicked calls to nurses, temperature checks, and a very fussy baby. Lucy always goes to her Papa…but this weekend, she only wanted me. It’s Sunday night, and I’ve just finished nursing her to sleep. The last I checked, her temperature was at 103 degrees Fahrenheit. I anticipate another sleepless night ahead of us, and so I’m stalking up on liquids (a large mug of tea) and provisions (cranberry walnut bread).

Despite a mild cold in January, this is the first time any of us have been really sick since Lucy’s birth. I’m thankful for the relative health we’ve enjoyed, but I’m cognizant of how quickly it can go away (perhaps too cognizant..that’s another post though). Thankfully, we live near friends and family who are eager to help, and we’re lucky to have an amazing pediatrician who I trust wholeheartedly (and who we will be seeing first thing tomorrow morning).

Of course, we’re due to fly to Austin on Tuesday, which makes this bout of poor health even more stressful. We won’t travel if Lucy doesn’t improve. I’m not about to put a baby with an infected ear on a small, cramped airplane. But there are so many people we’re eager to see in Texas, and my sweet Grandma has been counting down the days until she can hold her namesake in her arms again. So please say a prayer for Lucy and her mama and papa. We want her healthy…and we’d love to make it down to Texas.

Before the fever started, I made this lovely, simple cake on Friday afternoon. French yogurt cakes are some of my favorite desserts to make and share. They come together effortlessly, and they fill your house with a faint hint of citrus and sugar. I topped this single layer cake with a generous slather of Greek yogurt frosting. I had bought a larger carton of yogurt to make the cake, and when I had a heaping cup left over, I thought I’d put it to good use. Some fresh and dried fruit finished the cake perfectly, adding just the right amount of texture, flavor, and color.

I hope you enjoy your week (it’s Spring Break for us!) and I send just as many wishes for good health to you and yours!

French Yogurt Cake with Greek Yogurt Frosting

Cake:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ground almonds (or, if you’d prefer, omit the almonds and use another 1/2 cup all-purpose flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup full fat Greek yogurt
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup flavorless oil, such as canola or safflower

Greek Yogurt Frosting:
1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Generously butter and flour an 8-inch cake pan. Set aside. Whisk together the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.

Place the sugar and zest in a medium bowl and, working with your fingers, rub the zest into the sugar untilmoist and aromatic. Add the yogurt, eggs and vanilla to the bowl and whisk vigorously. Still whisking, stir in the dry ingredients, use a large rubber spatula and fold in oil. You’ll have a thick, smooth batter. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until the cake begins to come away from the sides of the pan; it will be golden brown and a knife inserted into the center of the cake will come out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack, cool for 5 minutes, then run a blunt knife between the cake and the sides of the pan. Unmold and cool to room temperature right-side up.

Storing: Wrapped well, you can keep the cake at room temperature for at least 4 days and, like many pound cakes, it will be better one day later than it was the day it was made.

Greek yogurt frosting: in a medium bowl, whisk together Greek yogurt and frosting until smooth. Generously slather over cooled cake and cover with fresh fruit.

11/52

I finally got a good night of sleep. And oh how I needed it. Only sleeping for 1 to 2 hour chunks of time is not good for your body or your soul. Thankfully, after Ryan and I went on a lovely date in Denver, we came home to a sweet grandma and a very tired baby. After nursing, Lucy fell right asleep…and stayed asleep for FIVE HOURS. I woke up, with banana bread beside me, and looked at the clock. “Five hours,” I exclaimed, “thank God!”

For the past several weeks, Lucy will wake during the night and then panic when she can’t find us (even though we’re sleeping right beside her). It’s evident she’s realized that she belongs to us and we belong to her.

So yes, separation anxiety has been at an all-time high. She gets upset when I leave the room, let alone leave the house. The tears and screams have been hard, but I’m so grateful that I have a baby who wants to be close to her mama.

Because I can’t tell you how much I love the quiet moments we share together. The way she crawls up beside me to nuzzle her head close to my chest. Or how she blows on my bare stomach only to erupt in that near perfect baby laughter

We are finding new ways to show love to each other, and it’s glorious.

I don’t know if I have ever felt like this for another human being. I love Ryan so much and I know he loves me the same, but there is something different about having a child. The love I have for Lucy is intense and scary and beautiful and all–consuming. It is teaching me so much about faith and trust. I don’t know how I will ever let her go… even though I know every parent must. The lesson will be a hard but important one. Thankfully, I have years to go. And so, in the meantime, we will enjoy snuggling together, dancing together, eating together, sleeping together, and the list goes on and on.

And thank you again for your continued support and love. I have received some of the sweetest messages over the past few weeks. We are so thankful for each one of you.

Brown Sugar Cookies

We’ve had a sleepless week. Lucy has been teething, which means we’ve been nursing almost constantly through the night. At one point, my eyes red and my shirt covered in milk, I said to Ryan, “this is worse than having a newborn.” But then I woke up the next morning and took my words back.

Because yes, those first few weeks of infancy were exhausting. And yes, these recent few weeks of teething have been draining. But really, when I think about it, I realize I’m so blessed to have this baby who wants and needs me. So if I had to wake up in the middle night and turn to Ryan again, I think I’d say, “this is just as special as when we first brought her home.” And I’d mean it.

And you know what else happens when you operate on little sleep? You make cookies. This is the third batch of cookies I’ve made this week, but the only new recipe I tried. The verdict? Chewy and soft and so very good. These make a sleepless night all the sweeter. Yes, I’m one of those nursing moms who keeps snacks by her bed.

These brown sugar cookies come together quickly and then require at least a good hours chill in the refrigerator. The result is a cookie that reminds me of Christmas, of my mother, and of all the other good things in the world. Make them. I think you’ll love them as much as we do.

Brown Sugar Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

12 TBSP butter, melted

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

Stir together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter and brown sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the egg. Finally, stir in the vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a large wooden spoon. The dough will be soft, yet thick. Cover the dough and chill for 1 hour, or up to 3 days.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to slightly soften at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

Form cookies into balls (about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie) Bake for 8-9 minutes, or until cookies look just slightly underdone. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for ten minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cookies stay soft and fresh for 7 whole days at room temperature. Cookies may be frozen up to 3 months.