Springtime flowers and "for lovers only"

I just HAVE to share these photos with you. I forgot how beautiful the flowers around town are in the spring here in Emeryville. The entire perimeter of Pixar Studios is covered in pink roses. There are lemon trees, jasmine blooms, roses, snap dragons, peonies, poppies, you name it.
I of course, always forget to bring my camera with me when I go out for a walk with Sadie. Luckily, my phone takes pretty decent pics.
Here are some photos I took the other day while walking home from the dry cleaners. The colors were absolutely amazing. So bright and fragrant were the flowers, it just warmed my heart and put a big smile on my face. I just love flowers. In the ground and in my vases at home. I try to act tough and say that I don't care to be brought flowers but that's just a lie. I love them! I want them! I need them! Any old occasion will do too. Wednesday, Saturday, Mother's Day, Veteran's Day, pretty much any day, for any reason is just fine by me.


Now on to some food..........
When I was a kid, I used to think crepes were "for lovers only." Don't ask me why, I have no idea. It's just what I thought. I thought that crepes were something you made for your lover in the morning. Coffee, crepes, fresh squeezed OJ all eaten while in a silk negligee with matching robe. Where I got this idea I really couldn't say.
As I got older and went out into the world I realized crepes weren't just for lovers but for anyone who cared enough to eat one. I had no idea they could be savory either. In my mind they were always filled with fresh fruit, a sweet cheese and whipped cream. Maybe a little chocolate sauce drizzled over the top.
My first job out of culinary school we made chocolate crepes. It was there that my love for making crepes began.
I loved to put all the ingredients into the blender, buzz it up and let it chill in the fridge until ready to use.
Carefully, I would coat my pan with non-stick spray and gently ladle some batter into the pan, tilting it ever so slightly, keeping it just hot enough to cook but never letting it get too hot. Quickly, I would flip the crepe over, cook the other side and dump it out onto a piece of wax paper. On to the next and the next and the next.

There are so many things you can do with a crepe. Ham and Swiss, Brie and spinach, peanut butter and jelly, fresh fruit, whipped cream, or my personal fave Nutella and just about anything with it!

A few weeks ago, Tracy and Ian came over for vegan brunch. I love to experiment when they come over. Partly because they eat everything I put out and partly because I just like to experiment.
Usually, I just make plain crepes, ap flour maybe a little sugar if I'm doing a sweet one. This time I decided to step it up and make buckwheat crepes. Half of the crepes were made savory and the other half I added some sugar too so that we could fill them with fruit, chocolate ganache and Soyatoo whipped topping.
I was so overjoyed when everyone went crazy for my crepes! They were so easy and really tasty.
I have a crepe pan. I've used it for many years. I believe it was my mom's before I took it. I ahve since learned to use a small non-stick frying pan or skillet which I find is sometimes easier.

BUCKWHEAT CREPES WITH POTATO MUSHROOM SPINACH FILLING AND TAHINI-DILL SAUCE
makes about 10-15 crepes depending on the size of your pan
Adapted from Veganomicon, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
***the crepe batter has to chill overnight******
You will need:
1 1/2 +2 Tablespoons soy milk
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chickpea flour
1 Tablespoon arrowroot flour
1/2 tsp salt
non stick cooking spray
softened non hydrogenated margarine
a silicone basting brush
small offset spatula or a butter knife
wax paper
baking sheet lined with foil and lightly sprayed

Filling (can be made the night before as well)
1/2 pound Yukon gold potatoes
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 small onion, diced finely
1 tsp carraway seeds (optional but really taste good!)
1/4 pound mushrooms, any variety, thinly sliced
1/2 pound spinach, cooked, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Tahini-dill sauce
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup water
1 glove garlic, minced
juice of one lemon
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp paprika, the spicy kind
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup light packed fresh dill
a blender or immersion blender
a sauce pot

First make the crepe batter
combine all the ingredients in a blender, scrape the sides and blend well
pour into an airtight container and chill overnight

when you are ready to make the crepes:
cut a bunch of squares of wax paper to place the crepes on in a stack
(this prevent sticking)
Heat your pan over medium-high heat.
lightly spray the pan and brush with margarine
pour about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the crepe batter into the pan and tilt in a circular direction until the batter has spread out.
as the batter is setting, hold the pan slightly off the flame so you don't burn the batter
once there are no wet spots and the edges begin to lift, take your spatula or knife and gently run it around the edge
carefully slide under the crepe and flip it over to the other side
*you can set the pan down and use two hands for this*
cook just a few seconds more
lay onto wax paper, continue

Make the filling:
peel and coarsely chop the potatoes
boil them in a pot for about 20-25 minutes, drain set aside
cook spinach, drain, set aside until cooled and chop
in a large skillet heat the oil over med-high heat
add the onion and saute until translucent
add the caraway seeds and mushroom
saute until very tender and most of the liquid has absorbed
add the potatoes and spinach
season with salt and pepper
remove from heat, set aside to assemble the crepes

Heat your oven to 250-300*F.
lightly spray a foil lined baking sheet
place one crepe down on the sheet and spoon about 3-4 Tablespoons of filling just off center of the crepe.
Gently fold over so the seam is on the bottom
continue until all crepes are made
place in the oven (if you have cooked the crepes so that they are a little crisp, brush with margarine or spray, so that they don't dry out)

Make the sauce
if using a blender-place all ingredients in a blender, puree and heat in a saucepan until warm
if using an immersion blender-place all ingredients in a sauce pan, heat and puree

Place crepes on a place and ladle sauce over the top.
serve warm.

*if you want to make sweet crepes - omit the salt, add 2 Tablespoons sugar and some vanilla extract if you like.

enjoy!!!
xoxo

read this.......

Jana just posted a blog about her trip out to see us. She takes nice photos you should have a looky look.

enjoy!
xoxo

The race to the finish

Sadie's 1st birthday is Sunday, can you believe it??????
It's been raining like crazy here. Every time I look out the window and see the rain and dark skies I flash back to last year when I went into labor and this same storm that is over us now was over us then. I get a little choked up when I think that I have been basically blogging her progress for a year give or take a few weeks here and there.

When Sadie was about 2 weeks old, Octavio came to visit us. We ate pizza from Zachary's and I hadn't quite figured out the whole breastfeeding thing so I was hiding under a blanket trying not to flash Roc while feeding Sadie. It was really funny.
He asked me if I was going to keep a journal of Sadie's first year. At the time I laughed and thought that was a ridiculous idea. I was tired and could barely sit down without wincing. Nicole Richie had just given an interview about how she was keeping a daily journal on her daughter with 40 names, it just seemed silly. I had no intention of being a crazy parent who talked about their kids all the time. I still hadn't even come to terms with the fact that when Sadie cried it was because she needed me. ME! What a thought.

As you well know, I did keep the journal. It was actually quite easy and sort of fun to do. At first, I started posting while Sadie was sleeping on me. Later on, I found myself keeping notes on my Blackberry each week so that I could remember what to write when I got the chance. I might even put all my posts together to show Sadie one day. I certainly have enough photos to save of her.

The year flew by and I haven't quite wrapped my head around the fact that Peter and I have a daughter that's a year old. I still remember the first time we talked about whether or not each of us wanted to have kids.......

Before I got pregnant I made a lot of declarations about things I would or wouldn't do as a parent.
I think I did almost everything I said I wouldn't do and didn't do almost everything I said I would. Funny how that works isn't it?
I've heard some of our friends talk about how after having the first child they'd do things differently with the second. I'm always confused and surprised by this. Except for a few minor things like remembering to request a vegetarian meal in the hospital, I don't think there's much I would change for the next one. For the most part, everything went real smooth for us. I mean, Sadie still doesn't nap in her own bed but she sleeps in her bed at night and sleeps through the night until 7:30am so I can't really complain.
She's mellow, happy and a good eater what more could a parent ask for?

Speaking of eating, our kid is what the "experts" call a "big eater." Girl shovels it in. On Valentine's Day, Peter took us out for sushi. Sadie ate all the edamame a bunch of rice and some tofu. She was totally eyeing our sushi and I'm sure if I had given her some she would have scarfed it.
We're thinking of changing her name from chicken to moose.
Set a bowl of peas out in front of her and be sure not to blink or you'll miss her eating them. She's quick but delicate. Her pinkie is always raised and she plucks the food up off the tray ever so gently.
There isn't much she won't eat, so far it seems to be nectarines are the only things she's not so into. She loves her Goldfish and insists on having at least one in each hand and 10 in her mouth. Strawberries are her new favorite fruit. I said "new" because that banana is still holding the top spot and doesn't seem to be coming down anytime soon.
She's even started to feed herself with a spoon. She dips it into her yogurt and puts into her mouth without waving it all over the floor now.

It's taken us a while to get Sadie into brushing her teeth. At first when she was teething it wasn't a problem, she liked chewing on the bristles. But after awhile she got smart and realized what she was doing was not a game and didn't want to do it anymore.
I even tried putting her on the counter while I brushed my teeth. She held her toothbrush and brushed like I did twice.
Now, she has two toothbrushes. She uses them both at the same time. She brushes with one, smiles and then sticks the other one in and brushes some more.
Whatever it takes, man. Whatever it takes

When you say "Where's Sadie" she points to herself.
When you say "Where's mommy?" She points to her food. She'll shake her head and say "mo" if you've said "no" to her. But then she smiles coyly and does what you've just said "no" to anyway.
But, she remembers what you said "no" to. For instance. I have a cup in the bath tub that I use to pour water over Sadie when she's in the bath. She tried to drink from it once and I said "no, no don't drink." Every time she's in the bath now, she raises the cup to her lips, shakes her head and says "mo," then looks at me.

I'm totally enjoying all the hugging and kissing she's been doing. Sometimes she'll come up behind me if I'm sitting on the floor and hug me and climb around and plant one on me. It's cute and I keep telling myself to soak it in, because some day she's going to be a teenager and she's going to hate my guts for a few years.
At night before going to bed, she gives Peter 3 kisses sometimes 4 then we go off in to her bedroom to read 2 stories and rock in the chair for 3 songs, no more, no less. Trust me, she knows how many books and how many songs are going on. One of the stories is always "Where The Wild Things Are." Sadie loves her Wild Things.

Peter and I keep wondering when Sadie is going to have some hair. She has a little and you can tell it's growing but there really isn't much. It's blond and curly. When I blow dry it after her bath it smooths out a little. The next day it's a big fluffy mess no matter what. It's not long enough to clip yet. You'd think, being a hairstylist I'd know what to do about this dilemma, but I don't.

I'm pretty sure this is the second to last weekly update (the last being the one I intend to post about her party next week) I will be making about Sadie.
I bet you're happy. I'm going to try real hard to write about food. If I could post as regularly about that as I did about my kid that would be nice, wouldn't it?

enjoy!
xoxo

sadie 52 weeks