One of our favorite travel days this past holiday season was a misty warmish day after the new year. I took the boys to visit my mom for the day, where we drove to Yellow Springs for lunch followed by a hike in Clifton Gorge, a beautiful nature preserve in Greene County. I can’t count the number of times we came here when I was a girl, so it was especially sweet to bring my own children here!
This past holiday season has been quiet and calm, mostly due to the amount of outdoor time we’ve prioritized. Because of the mild weather, I took the boys on many hikes, reveling in the quiet of the woods and the search for winter color (a point I’ll reiterate in my next post about a hike with my mom and boys). We had plenty of friend time, and even more family time on our trip to Ohio, which is where all of these photos were taken.
A special thanks to Bill and Annie, who took us into their home for a long stay, where my boys proceeded to eat them out of house and home (so, do they really eat every two hours? was an actual question, to which I had to sheepishly answer, yes, I guess they do!). Of course, we were never made to feel badly about any of it; family is like that and I can only hope they will come eat all our food and wear out all our toys and batteries, and squabble and bicker in our house next time.
On the first day of 2017, I woke up early and walked out into the back yard to the foggy scene above. It was so quiet, so eerily peaceful, that it was all I could do not to wake everyone up to witness it. The whole break was like that, really. Though the cousins had their moments, in general, they got along really well and played on their own, giving the adults plenty of time to catch up. It really was a wonderful trip.
Happy New Year, and here’s to more reflection, more peace and quiet and appreciation for these moments during these early winter months. And thank you, Billy and Annie, for taking such good care of us! We love you!
I nearly forgot about the holiday potato recipe I promised way back before Thanksgiving, so here it is! After this, I’ll be taking that blogging break until right after the new year. This potato dish is from Andrew’s sister-in-law Annie’s family, aptly named Poirier Holiday Potatoes, and she so generously agreed to share it with us, and then allowed us to share it with you! Thank you, Poiriers!
Forgive the iPhone pictures — as it turns out, I’m a bit burned out from lugging my nice camera around with me everywhere; plus, I’m trying to learn to take nice photos on the phone to see if it can be done!
I’ve been eating lentils my whole life. Back growing up a daughter of artists, there wasn’t much money to waste, so we ate a lot of beans and legumes. I guess old habits die hard – but I’m glad, because whenever I make lentils, I think of my family! My boys love this recipe, even though it’s pretty spicy with the chorizo and curry. Didn’t know chorizo would pair well with curry, did you?
Curried Lentils with Chorizo & Microgreens
Soak lentils in the morning before cooking if you want to reduce cooking time. Melt 1 Tbsp butter in large cooking pot, then brown chorizo on all sides. Remove chorizo with a slotted spoon and set aside. Sauté onion in pan drippings until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring as you go. Add curry powder and a dash of salt, then stir before adding drained lentils. Stir again, then add 2 cups chicken broth. Cover tightly and cook for about an hour, or until lentils are tender. Add tomato sauce and chorizo, and continue cooking 30 minutes or so, adding water or broth if the stew starts to lose its liquid.
Serve warm over basmati rice with microgreens and sour cream or plain yogurt (and/or sharp cheddar cheese). Enjoy!
