3/52

“a portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2014″

(And thanks to the ever lovely Jodi for inspiring us all…)

My daughter bites. She bites her crib. She bites her foot. She bites my shoulder. Yes, she even bites my nipple. Lucy has somewhere around 8 teeth (an impressive number for an almost 7-month old).

She is SO CLOSE to crawling. It could be any day now, which makes me both proud and sad. It’s true what they say, “It goes by so fast.”

I taught my first round of college classes this week, and so far so good. I know that balancing home with work will be a challenge, but I feel like we’re off to a good start. Both my students and my daughter seem happy and engaged (of course, this is only the first week).

Over the next few days, I’ll be writing and working in the kitchen. I’m not sure exactly what I’ll end up baking, but I promise I’ll be back on Monday with a new recipe. I hope everyone has a beautiful and warm weekend! It’s been too darn cold.

2/52

1/52

Monet

Anecdotes and Apple Cores

Overnight Refrigerator Rolls

I start teaching today, which means that twice a week, I’ll be eating dinner on campus. After three years of graduate school, I thought I was finished toting my dinner to class, but alas, I’ve broken out my lunchbox yet again. For the most part, I’m imagining quinoa salads, but occasionally, I’ll make a turkey sandwich and when I do, I’ll make one on these overnight refrigerator rolls (my absolute favorite roll recipe).

As I’ve mentioned before, my affection for rolls began young. My Grammy would make these soft and buttery dinner rolls that I loved more than any sweet treat that came out of her kitchen. To this day, I’d take a good chunk of bread over a piece of cake or a cookie. Add a pat of organic butter, and I’m drifting off towards my food heaven.

With a baby though, it’s been harder and harder to make homemade bread. That is until I remembered my favorite slow-rise bread recipe. Not only can I make these rolls the night before, while Lucy sleeps, but the overnight rest results in a much more flavorful end-product. So this recipe couldn’t be any tastier or any easier. You mix and knead the dough, plop it into a lightly oiled bowl, let it rest in your refrigerator overnight (or up to three days) and then remove it to shape and proof the next morning.

These overnight refrigerator rolls might take you back to your childhood. They’re soft, slightly sweet, and enriched with milk and butter. Imagine serving these with a bowl of chicken noodle soup or with a slow cooked pot roast. Or, like me, you can slice these rolls in half and load them up with turkey and veggies.

Wish me luck as I embark on my adventure. I’ll be sure to share how my classes are going next week!

Overnight Refrigerator Rolls

*From Peter Reinhart’s Artisan Bread Every Day

1 3/4 cup lukewarm milk (15 oz)

1 tablespoon instant yeast

6 1/4 cups unbleached bread flour (28 oz)

1 tablespoon kosher salt (or 2 teaspoons table salt)

5 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

1 egg

Egg wash (optional)

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

Poppy seeds

Whisk the yeast into the lukewarm milk and allow to sit for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the flour, salt, sugar, butter, and egg in a mixing bowl. Pour in milk mixture. Using the paddle attachment on your stand mixer (or a large spoon), mix for two minutes. Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed for 4 to 5 minutes (or knead by hand on a lightly floured counter). The dough should be soft and tacky but not sticky.

Form dough into a ball and place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rest in refrigerator overnight (or up to 3 days).

Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 2 1/2 hours before baking. Shape dough into 2-ounce rolls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. This recipe will make about 2 dozen rolls, give or take a few. Mist the dough with spray oil, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise at room temperature for 2 1/2 hours. About 15 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Before baking, you can brush the rolls with a basic egg wash (1 beaten egg with 2 tablespoons water). Sprinkle poppy seeds on top of rolls if desired.Bake rolls for 15 minutes, or until just lightly browned.

Monet

Anecdotes and Apple Cores

2/52

“a portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2014″

(And thanks to the ever lovely Jodi for inspiring us all…)

Suicide sucks. We lost Ryan’s father four years ago. We lost my brother-in-law two years ago. Both in January, which makes an already cold month feel even colder. This is our first January with our daughter, and while she hasn’t healed our wounds (we would never want to give her that burden) she has granted us the opportunity to look at January anew.

And we’re seeing laughter.

She delights me with her toothy smile each morning. When Ryan brings her into the bedroom, we often end up laughing. Her clear delight in the nearing possibility of breastmilk makes me forget I’ve had yet another wakeful night.

She smiles at strangers and wins the hearts of those she meets. Our daughter is a charmer, and I can’t wait to see the people she softens in the years to come.

And does she eat? Well, not really. She likes to stick stalks of broccoli into her mouth but still isn’t keen on swallowing. And yes, that’s still perfectly fine with me.

Much love to you guys this weekend. I’ll be back on Monday with one of my favorite recipes: overnight refrigerator rolls.

Monet

Anecdotes and Apple Cores

Asian Spiced Chicken Cups

My baby doesn’t sleep through the night. Not even close. She’s nearly seven months old, and she wakes me up three, sometimes even four, times each night to nurse. I lean up against three pillows and draw her in close to my breast. She’s quieter at night. Her arms don’t flail; she doesn’t reach up and try to grab my nose. She stays focused, not popping off the breast every few moments. And as much as I want to complain about my lack of solid sleep, I wouldn’t trade our dream feeds for anything in the world.

Because this time is fleeting. Because yes, eventually, she’ll learn to sleep through the night. And in fifteen years, when she’s a growing teenager, I’ll sit at our dining room table and wonder if I should go into her room and wake her up. Dear friends, join me in relishing the difficult beauty of NOW.

This past month, I attempted to balance motherhood with a photography assignment. The result? Long days, a few tears, dozens of beautiful dishes, and several hours of abandoning “my tasks” to sit with my daughter and play with her on the floor. Yes, this balancing act is another challenge that I’m choosing to view in a positive light. As I mentioned last week, I begin teaching next Monday. I have no idea how I’m going to make it all happen (but I’m trusting that as long as I slow down and savor where I am and who I’m with, I’ll be all right).

These Asian Spiced Chicken Cups are one of the many recipes I worked on in December. They look beautiful and taste even better. Wonton wrappers make appetizer-sized, edible cups that hold a fragrant and spicy Asian chicken mixture. A dollop of an apricot sauce finishes the dish off. Serve them at a party or eat three or four for a light lunch. And whatever you do with them, remember that there is beauty in a simple meal shared with friends or a good book.

Asian Spiced Chicken in Wonton Cups

12 wonton wrappers

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (chicken thighs would work well too)

1 cup finely chopped onion

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon freshly chopped basil

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Black pepper

Sea Salt

1 cup fresh spinach leaves, cut into thin strips

1/2 cup apricot jam

1 tablespoon orange juice

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farhrenheit. Lightly coat two 6-cup muffin pans (jumbo sized) with olive oil. Press one wonton wrapper into each cup. Bake seven minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to cool in pan; remove and set aside.

Place chicken, onion, lemon juice, oil, soy sauce, and seasonings into medium bowl. Toss to coat and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

After chicken has marinated: heat large skilled on medium-high heat. Add chicken mixture with marinate and cook 7 to 10 minutes (or until chicken is thoroughly cooked). Stir in spinach and cook until wilted. Drain liquid from pan and spoon chicken mixture into cooled wonton cups. Set aside.

For the Apricot sauce: mix apricot jam, orange juice and spices in a small microwavable bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds or until warm. Spoon sauce over filled chicken cups.

Monet

Anecdotes and Apple Cores

Healthy Essentials for the New Year

Sweet readers, we’ve had our share of minor mishaps since having a baby. Something about sleep deprivation makes household accidents all the more likely. From scratches on our face (by little baby fingernails) to scrapes on our knees (from bumping into the corner of our bed at 2 am), we’ve used our first aid kit again and again.

So when HEALTHY ESSENTIALS® sent my family a box of health and hygiene products on Friday, I knew the band-aids and Neosporin would get put to good use. Not to mention the shampoo and lotion and dental floss….As a new mom, it can feel daunting to wake up an extra half an hour to take a shower. But as soon as the water hits my back, I feel instantly better. Taking care of yourself is a must (no matter if you have no kids or fifteen!)

As we begin 2014, Ryan and I are committed to a healthy year. We want to get outside and walk more. We want to eat more salads (and enjoy that occasional scoop of ice cream). We want to spend more time with friends and family. The list goes on and on.

Get Significant Savings from Healthy Essentials this Month

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Now is the perfect time for a fresh start to your healthcare routine and to create healthy resolutions. From pain & allergy relief to dietary & digestive health to products for kids & babies, there are significant savings on items for every member of the family! Visit www.HealthyEssentials.com to sign up!

Ring in the New Year with Healthy Essentials at the #Moms4JNJConsumer Twitter Party

I’m excited to join Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies for a Twitter party to talk about HEALTHY ESSENTIALS® for the New Year, resolutions, family wellness and how to score great deals on health and hygiene products! Learn how HEALTHY ESSENTIALS® can help you reach health-related goals for 2014.

When: Tuesday, January 14, 1 p.m. ET

Hashtag: #Moms4JNJConsumer (plus #ad or #sponsored for co-hosts)

Prizes: We will randomly award 15 prizes throughout the party, from all eligible correct responses to trivia questions. Each prize includes an assortment of Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies HEALTHY ESSENTIALS® products with an estimated retail value of $50.

Prize Eligibility: No purchase necessary. Entrants must be legal residents of the 50 United States + D.C. 18 years of age or older. Void where prohibited.

Hosts: @theMotherhood, @CooperMunroe, @EmilyMcKhann, @TheMotherhood25

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This post is part of the HEALTHY ESSENTIALS® 2014 program by Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. and The Motherhood, who sent me a box of products and compensated me for my time. Opinions, experiences and photos shared here are all my own, and I hope you enjoy them.