Oma and Baby in a blanket fort

This is the adventure that started the Pocket Oma idea.  My kids know that I'm a bit nuts.  But it's a fun, innocent, childlike, explorative kind of nuts - and I love interacting with itty bitty like this.  Apart from that, when was the last time you were in a comforter fort built by a 2 year old.  

I just got to experience the feeling again while sitting in my queen size bed 2 states away.  Play tents and play houses were great, when it was easy to get on the floor - and when no parts were in the way of folding yourself in half.  A few months ago I could have told you that [spoken in your best grandma voice]"I have not been able to climb into a blanket fort in years".  

My main problem was that I didn't have access to a 2 year old, so there was not a pressing need for a blanket fort.  Once the 1 year old exited, she was a bit far away... but in the last few months we've had access both in person and over the phone. 

So we have been in a blanket fort in real life.  When munchkin was at Oma's house, we figured out that 2 high back chairs and a blanket make great fort for 2. 

But this fort preceded the fort at Oma's house.  Her Daddy gets credit for this blanket fort idea.  He started it with her one day - maybe with a light down there - and she ran with it.  During the next call with Oma, I was invited to visit her and the baby doll in the blanket fort. 

Mom tried to come it, too.  But only her head fit.    

Please tell me that I am not the only person doing this. What fun games are you playing with your grandkids?  

Safe games only!  In this house we buckle our seatbelt and we play games that everyone enjoys.  We try to practice gentle parenting and education and science is the greatest thing that ever existed, 

What can I do with this child as she is getting older?  I suspect that it will get easier for a little bit as she is learning how to talk.  But then it will be hard to keep her attention.  

How do I read a book to her?  I have some ideas, but I'd rather not reinvent the wheel if anyone has figured this out already.  

Peek-a-boo

I love talking to my grandchild on the phone.  Little bugger is 2.  She's more fun than should be legally allowed.  

I've always embraced technology.  I may be a digital immigrant, but I love the ability that the technology brings to address issues.  Life's a big puzzle.  Technology gives me the tools to solve the puzzles as they come up. 

Imagination and creativity is how I connect with my late mother - human connection is how I channel my late father. Playing with the munchkin channels both while healing all of the generational trauma in one fell swoop.  It's a magical little exercise. 

With every call I try to find new ways to interact with her.  We've been playing Peek-a-Boo for a while.  Munchkin plays the game in a variety of different ways depending on her mood.  I enjoy everything about this game with her: paying attention and collecting the clues that make me realize how this is fun for her; finding the things she can and can't do - watching that little brain work - and the little human have fun.  That is the life! 

And my biggest joy is knowing that his little human, on some days, does not even have her eyes open when she gains consciousness in the morning - and the first words out of her mouth - with sleep in her eyes - barely awake are  "Call Oma phone" 

When we first started to talk on the phone, she'd walk out of the view of the phone for "Peek-a-boo".  That was very effective for the game - and she didn't talk all that much.  She delighted in me calling for her and "looking" for her.  Sometimes, we'd play hide and go seek with the help of an adult. She'd hide in the room, and the adult would carry the phone around as we're both trying to find her - under the table or behind the curtain. 

Sometimes she'd cover herself with a blanket.  Sometimes, she'd cover the phone.  She does understand that, if her eyes don't see - the cell phone (?) - I don't see her.  I love seeing how her brain works these things out. 

This one - her covering her eyes in front of the screen was a first today.  We were playing peek-a-boo in different ways, when suddenly, this is what she does. 

I started calling her name "Munchkin, where are you?", but she didn't budge.  She's playing the game, enjoying it, but she's not willing to be found quite, yet.  Clearly, she wanted me to do something else.  But what can I do?  I am on the phone! It's not like I can poke her, walk around and look for her.  

So I started describing what I was seeing: "I see some fingers; where is the baby?",  "Blonde hair, but no baby?" - "I see hands and fingernails, thumbs and pinkies, but no baby." - "Where is the baby?" - "I see snowflakes on a red sweater...."

What is she waiting for me to say so she'll peek out?  

The most fun games are the ones where the unexpected happens.  That's when you learn about how their little brain works - and it turns out that - this moment was NOW - I had just just f'd up BAD!

She was offended!

She was so offended that she interrupted the game - glared at me, raised her white-snowflake-on-red-soft-long-sleeve-something-clad arm up to her mother to show her and join the baby in protest!

"No! - NO! Not sweater - pajamas! " She proclaims. 

"Oh, I'm sorry - pajamas. "

We settle back into the game. 

"Where's the baby?" "I see a snowflake on a red pajama - what else is on the pajama?  A Santa Claus?  A beard? I see an elbow - and - oh, do I see an eye peeking through." 

"There she is!"

I love this kid! 

My greatest Joy

 I teach biology.  As any biology teacher knows, it's nice to have kids.  Kids are fun and kids are great.  (Kids are also expensive, a pain in the butt and they talk back, if you've raised them right.) 

But kids are a means to an end. 

The true measure of success is - grandkids!

I got a few of those, but due to life circumstances, I can enjoy this one like I have not enjoyed a grandchild in the past!

The current one - largely because she is two - is my greatest joy!

Fostering Kittens (I): They'll share their birth day with my Ex

Like many other people, I started working from home when the COVID pandemic began.  Unlike many other people, I was still working from the home office in 2022. 

That particular morning, I was preparing for my work day at 8 am, when Momma-Cat came to get me.  I didn't know what was going on with her, but she kept meowing and seemed pretty insistent that I follow her. 

"Momma-Cat, I don't really have time for this!  I have a meeting at 10 am that I need to get ready for."

But she insisted - meeeooww - so I followed her to the basement. 

I'm glad I did - because those kittens were coming. 

Momma hopped into the Rubbermaid box we had agreed upon as her baby crib; and one big long meeeoooww later - here was kitten number 1. 

I hung with Momma for a bit, but then made my 10 am meeting - and the one following at 11 am.  In between meetings I'd keep checking on the cat.  

I recorded a video before I went back upstairs to teach a class in the early afternoon. Excuse the mess - the kittens are brand new.  https://youtu.be/xzy1WNnQXx0

In the end, there were 4 of them:

Tigger, Soda Pop, Bitty and Dude.  This picture was obviously taken when they were a few days older.  

Fostering Kittens (I): Introducing Momma

It was really my granddaughter's fault: After moving into my house, she wanted a cat. 

Rather than adopting, I offered a kitten-foster situation since that represented less than a lifetime commitment. 

Kitten availability was limited, but there was Momma-Cat!  She had been found as a pregannt stray by one of the local rescues and she was looking for a place to have those babies.

This is how Momma-Cat cat came to my house on 3/16/22.  We were told she was about a month away from having the kittens, but she looked like she was about to explode. I had my doubts about that timeline!

It didn't take Momma-Cat long to make herself at home. 

We do have a resident cat and dog.  Both were put on notice by Momma-Cat that she lived here now - and that she intended to rule the place. Then Momma-Cat plopped her pregnant belly right in the middle of the kitchen counter.  

Well, it didn't take a month...

Spätzle - made with sour dough discard (updated)

Anyone who maintains a sour dough starter knows that, with sour dough starter comes sour dough discard... What to do with the discard? 

Initially I would bake discard bread.  Those recipes simply use a little bit of starter in a more or less regular bread recipe made with instant yeast.  But there is only so much bread any one person wants to eat - even a German person; and my freezer also has limited capacity.  What to do with the discard?

The Internet is a beautiful place.  King Arthur has a whole collection of discard recipes.  Unfortunately, I am a recovering diabetic, so the cakes, cinnamon toast and even pancakes are not part of my diet. 

Bread is part of my diet despite the carbohybrates, because bread is heavenly.  Bread is what I choose to eat as my carbs for the day.

Recently, I found another beautiful place on the Internet - a Facebook group "Perfect Sour dough" where people talk about - what else - sour dough.  Someone there mentioned that you could make noodles with sour dough.  This is how I had the idea to make German noodles - spätzle - with sour dough discard.

Here is the recipe I'm going to use:

Spätzle (German noodles)

350 g flour 

50 g sour dough discard

4 eggs

1 tsp salt

12 TBsp water (200 ml) - adjust to desired consistency

50 g butter

The flour/sour dough ratio can probably be adjusted to your taste, but this is what I used.  With the eggs in the mix, I imagine that not much of the final hold comes from the gluten.

Mix flour, sour dough, eggs, salt and water into a dough. 

Push the resulting mixture through a ricer into boiling salt water.  

Fish the dumplings out of the water using a colander. 

Heat butter in a separate pot.  Add the dumplings into the pot.

If you have never made spätzle, I wrote a blog post "Taste of Home: Spätzle!!!" a few years ago.  It contains pictures and detailed instructions.  

Sour dough bread for the rest of us - or - Relax! It's gonna be OK.

Sour dough bread for the rest of us - or - Relax! It's gonna be OK.

Sour dough bread has always intimidated me.  The initial set-up, the feeding, the measuring, the timing, the commitment ... Maintaining a sour dough is like having a pet - and I'm not good with pets that don't remind me that they would like to be fed.  A sour dough was not likely to survive in my life.

But then, a few years ago, I set up a sour dough starter with the help of my adopted son. Truth be told, I did it primarily to entertain said son, but it has become a part of my life since then. In the beginning, for a few days - maybe even weeks, I obsessed over it, measured, fed, kept notes... but then, when I realized that this thing was doing just fine, I relaxed a bit.

Sour dough bread, it turns out, only sounds intimidating.  Once you get over the fear, it's really simple - and both the maintenance of the sour dough and the bread baking can be adjusted to work for the schedule of regular working folks.

Mummy Potatoes or The Epic Pinterest Fail and Other Misadventures

October 31st - Halloween.  The theme for tonight's Monday night dinner was - fittingly - Halloween.

Initially, I was a little concerned that I would not be able to find a Halloween-themed potato dish, but I quickly discovered that this would not be a problem.  There were lots of possibilities!  After surfing the net for a bit, I settled on Mummy Potatoes - a Pinterest-worthy Halloween-themed take on the twice baked potato.

Source: onceuponacuttingboard

Thai Potato and Vegetable Yellow Curry (vegan)

The theme for our Monday night dinner on 7/11/16 was Thai.  I love Thai food.  The first time I ate Thai was in Chicago, at a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant that I wished I could remember either the name or the location of....  I remember reading the menu and wondering what coconut milk would taste like in soup since I only knew coconut as an ingredient in sweet dishes like cookies and cakes,

To my surprise, it tasted absolutely wonderful - and to this day Tom Kah soup is one of my favorite dishes ever. Unfortunately, I can't make Tom Kah soup for Monday night dinner since it does not contain potatoes - and the potato challenge is still in full swing.

My daughter was not going to be able to make it to Monday night dinner since she would be out of town for a conference. That meant that I would not have to consider her food sensitivities when cooking.  Peppers were going to be added to this one!

As usually, my dish started with an evening of googling "Thai potatoes".  Of course I also had to make sure that I didn't repeat the Thai potato recipe I made last time.  When I came across a Thai yellow curry potato recipe that called for a homemade Thai yellow curry paste, I knew I had found a winner: Thai potato and vegetable yellow curry it was.

Imperfect Whole Grain Bread

My whole grain bread is definitely still a work in progress.  The end-goal is to create a loaf that is dense with grains, but that's not sunken in the middle - and not soaking wet.

I'm writing it down here because I don't want to forget what I did so far - and because a friend, who tasted the bread, actually asked for the recipe.

Lost - and found picture

I love pictures -not so much pictures of myself, but pictures of loved ones, friends and family.

If my house were on fire, I'd save the kids, the pets and then the pictures. Everything else can be replaced.

Potato Challenge: Super Easy Cajun Roasted Potatoes

This week's recipe was so easy, it almost does not deserve to be called a recipe.  My source was a recipe called "Way too easy Cajun potatoes" that I fancied up a bit by adding garlic to it.

These are the kind of potatoes that you can make instead of going out - they're that quick.

Potato challenge - Kroketten (croquettes)

On November 16th 2015 I made Croquettes.

I don't think I have ever had croquettes in the US.

In the area of Germany where I come from, croquettes are a (sit-down) restaurant side dish that has equal status to french fries.  As the images below show, Germans eat croquettes with a gravy sauce.  (Note that we do the same thing with french fries.  Also note that the German gravy is not as thick as the gravy I am used to in the American south.)

Picture from http://www.bavariankitchen.com/sides/kroketten.aspx

The Potato Challenge - Overview

Since it's going to take a little while to turn the previous potato dishes I made as part of the potato challenge into blog posts, I'll put an overview here until I get around to writing them.

Once they're written, this can serve as a table of contents of sorts.

Monday, August 31, 2015

• Theme: Grilling Out
• My Dish: Cheesy Hash Browns
• Source Recipe(s): Crockpot Hashbrown Casserole

Potato Challenge: Moroccan Potato Cakes (Maakouda Batata)

Yesterday was another Monday - and another potato dish is in the books.

I was living dangerously this week.  I actually didn't do a trial run for the potato dish on the weekend - and that almost spelled disaster because of one little error I made in the calculation of my ingredients...

As usually, I looked at several recipes, but essentially, I ended up following this Moroccan potato cake recipe.   The dish seemed pretty simple: Cook and mash potatoes, mix them with sauteed onions and garlic, add spices and egg, then shape the mass into patties and fry those in hot oil. I had already pondered making the potato mass in advance on Sunday when I can across this recipe that suggested that the potatoes should be boiled a day in advance so that they could firm up in the fridge over night, Shredding the the next day was supposed to give the mash a bit more consistency.

That sounded like a plan.  I cooked the potatoes in my trusted steamer on Sunday night.  Before I stuck them in the fridge I weighed how much I had there so I would know how much spice to add to the final mass.  The primary recipe I was going to use called for 2 lb of potatoes.  That's about 1 kg, give or take.  The potatoes from my steamer weighed about 1500 g.  (The only scale I own that can weigh items that are larger than 2 lb is a German scale.  Because of that it only weighs in grams). I was not sure that this would be enough potatoes for the group, so I set up another steamer basket full of potatoes and called it a night.

Lost love

Do we all have memories of "the one who got away"?  I certainly do.

The video of Ulay meeting Mariana Abramović at her MOMA exhibit "The artist is present" makes me think of that person.

Potato Challenge: Spanish Potatoes (Patatas Bravas)

Our local Kroger is having a "Taste of Spain" promotion this week. What better week than to select "Spanish Foods" for Monday night dinner?

Before the start of this week I only knew of 2 Spanish foods: Paella (I LOVE, LOVE LOVE paella - Thank you for making it, Leanna.) and tapas.  I knew about paella from having eaten it in Spain and about tapas from David Sedaris' essay "6 to 8 black men" where he asserts that "[Santa] certainly doesn't eat tapas".  By the way, the essay is definitely worth a read - or even better - a listen.  I enjoy David Sedaris' works most when they're read by the master himself, but I digress.

After discovering that there are quite a few Spanish potato recipes, I selected patatas bravas for this week.

Potato Challenge: Cottage Pie (That's Shepherds Pie without the lamb.)

The theme for Monday night's dinner on 4/11/16 was "British Food".  I had suggested the theme, because one of our friends would be in Great Britain at the time (therefore eating lots of British food there) and because I had come across a recipe for Shepherds pie as I was looking for potato recipes that I had not made before.

I was sure that "British Food" would be turned down as a theme by the group.  After all, who thinks of British Food as something you'd seek out to eat?  Apart from their breakfast - and those little pigs in a blanket sausages, what is there that anyone would want to eat?

I remember being in Britain for about 2 weeks as an exchange student when I was around 13 year old, and between the porridge, the cucumber sandwiches, the beans in tomato sauce and the potato chips with vinegar, I almost starved to death.... I did however find an Asterix book in English in a shop by Windsor castle, so that was a bonus....but I digress.

Turns out the group embraced the idea of British foods, especially since several people grew up with British food. Who knew... turns out every food is someone's comfort food.

Potato challenge - Cheesy hashbrowns

This hashbrown casserole that I brought to dinner on 8/31/15 was one of the dishes that started this whole potato adventure, so technically it's not really part of the potato challenge because the challenge didn't exist yet, but I have decided to overlook that little detail in favor of this perennial favorite.

Potato Challenge: Chorizo Potato Tacos

I have to admit that, when I was told last Monday that the theme for this week's Monday night dinner was going to be "tacos", I was a little concerned.  I had never heard of a taco filled with potato.  I mean, a starch inside of a starch - there was no way.

Imagine my surprise when I found several recipes for Chorizo Potato Tacos on the all-knowing Internet.  That's what I would be bringing.