Aha Moment

In about three months I will have been married for three years. This is no small feat but sounds like nothing compared to the forty plus years I hope that we have together. These last three years have changed me. Some obvious ways: I share everything with someone a bed, a bank account and a car. I have a new name, new dreams, new dogs and a new outlook.

Marriage has changed me in more subtle ways as well  I have learned that I am selfish, evil and impatient. I have seen that when pressure and disappointment enter my life I want nothing more than to be left alone to deal with things by myself.  To isolate and push back at Devin even sometimes being angry at him for my own hurt. This doesn’t work when there is someone else there who wants nothing more than to help, understand and support. I have had to let go of the desire to protect myself from everything this world can throw at me.  I have to choose to join Team Chapman everyday.

It is this choice and the participation that has delivered me on this the 31st of May, 2011 this “Aha Moment”: Intimacy is many things, today it is the idea that I cannot imagine my life without my Husband.  This might sound simple and perhaps something people feel in small doses throughout all committed relationships but for a person who has marked their life on independence this is HUGE. The thought alone brings tears, we are us, we are two people who have chosen one life.

So here’s to Devin thanks for being someone I can truly trust and rely on.

Dog Mom

the tiny one

So many people make jokes and jabs saying dogs or cats are starter children, they somehow prepare you for parenthood. I think this argument is extremely thin. I mean if I have a hard day with the dogs and they disobey I can shame them and lock them in a cage while I revamp their craigslist ad. Dogs (despite many attempts on my part) are also useless with various house chores and I swear my Mom had three kids so that she didn’t have to clean out the fridge or clean toilets for twenty years. In addition I hope that our doggie parenting isn’t a reflection of how Devin and I will act as parents or I might find myself playing second fiddle both as the good cop and bad cop. Somehow he does both so well and the dogs adore him for it.

There are some ways in which being a Dog Mom has changed me:

1. DOG MOMS NEVER SLEEP IN: Every morning around 6:00AM I am awoken by the sun and the clinking of little dog tags begging to go outside. It isn’t this noise that drives me from slumber but the debilitating fear that being slow to act in regard to my little alarm clock will result in a 20 minute session with my carpet, Nature’s Miracle and a wad of paper towels.
2. DOG MOMS ARE NEVER FAR FROM HOME: Dogs know that you love them and care for them enough to carry a tremendous amount of guilt everywhere you go, every after work dinner, late night hangout and Saturday afternoon shopping adventure. No matter how much fun I am having all I can think is that somehow the water bowl has run dry, the big one has finally become hungry enough to eat the small one and that I forgot to close the bedroom door and every pair of leather sandals I have are in shreds.
3. DOG MOMS BECOME THOSE CREEPY DOG PEOPLE: I never thought I’d be a dog person I didn’t have pets as a kid and found it strange people would elect to have to clean up after an animal. There is no limit to how much these creatures can destroy your belongings, literally crap all over your life  and still look at you in the eyes smiling afterwards, it is unreal. We try to never feed them people food but they have a three year plan to change our minds I swear; their relentless pursuit of what they want and desire is inspiring. But it is the unlimited amount of obedience and affection that causes you to quickly forget the former. They always race to the door, greeting us with unlimited excitement and enthusiasm, we are the center of their world and boy do we like it. But there is also no way to express how much I love these little sacks of fur. Recently one of Devin’s Mom’s dogs passed away and we both were emotional over it, knowing how devastated she must be, it shocked me because I felt for her what I would feel myself…grief. I can’t really imagine my life without them.

Dog Moms, Cat Moms, Fish Moms, Bunny Moms etc. I am sure you can relate. Somehow these creatures burrow a space into your life and your heart.  If you haven’t had a pet maybe it’s not for you, but that’s what I thought and look at me now. To affirm how crazy for my pups I am I uploaded just a small taste of the photos I treasure and share with anyone who will let me.

the regal one

Snugglesguy love

Risotto & Ristretto

It will almost be a year since I last blogged….woops. I just really suck at sticking with hobbies except for one: cooking. So this will be the subject matter of this post. In the last six months I have become even more motivated and experimental in the kitchen. I have always loved to cook and to try new and more challenging recipes. I love nothing more than looking through a cookbook and finding a recipe that has ingredients I have never tried and techniques that require youtube instructional videos and  best recipe consultation.  My friends and family have both reaped the benefits from this curiosity (recently risotto, kale chips, pork loin roast, skillet lamb steaks)  as well as endured complete flops (salmon burgers, beet goat cheese salad, grapefruit bars).

Through these trials I have found I have a gift for two things: baking and meat preparation. For some reason whenever I try anything that would fit in these two genres it comes out singing.  Something that has helped and inspired is all the incredible food and cooking blogs there are out there. I have listed some on my blog but here are a few more local ladies I find inspiring:

http://rosemarried.wordpress.com/

http://www.theunexpectedharvest.com/

http://soimarriedavegan.tumblr.com/

This last year has also brought a lot of changes for the Chapman Family. Devin is still working a Coffee Roasting company called Coava. He was their first employee and as a result has really had a lot of opportunities to grow and learn very quickly in the world of coffee. If you like coffee check out their site coavacoffee.com . I also recently began working for them as an Office Manager/Account type of person.  So I guess we are both in the coffee business in Portland which might give way to cliché to those who don’t live here. I also work at a new restaurant Otto and we’d love visitors 🙂 Great food, wine and cocktails and watching Francis transform food has also fueled my cooking fire.  I am still on the road to becoming a midwife and am waiting to hear back from school to see if this summer will begin the adventure of Nursing School. What else…. We now have two dogs Oso has joined the family and won over my heart.  Well that’s enough catching up.

In conclusion I thought I would share some of the culinary experiments that went so well they have been repeated.

Rhubarb Strussel Muffins adapted from Smitten Kitchen

(a way for me to have rhubarb since it is almost exclusively served with strawberries)

Ingredients

Topping

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Pinch of cloves
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Muffin

• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup light or dark brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm
• 3/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour (see Note)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup diced rhubarb, in 1/2-inch pieces (from about 6 to 8 ounces of stalks)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 12 muffin cups.

Make streusel: In a small dish, stir together flours, sugars, spices and salt. Stir in butter until crumbly. Set aside.

Make muffins: Whisk egg in the bottom of a large bowl with both sugars. Whisk in butter, then sour cream. In a separate bowl, mix together flours, baking powder and baking soda and stir them into the sour cream mixture, mixing until just combined and still a bit lumpy. Fold in rhubarb and 1/3 (feel free to eyeball this) of the streusel mixture.

Divide batter among prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle each muffin with remaining streusel, then use a spoon to gently press the crumbs into the batter so that they adhere. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until tops are golden and a tester inserted into the center of muffins comes out clean. Rest muffins in pan on cooling rack for two minutes, then remove muffins from tin to cool them completely.

Sunchoke & Kale Risotto c/o Erin Hohengarten with some tweaks by yours truly

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 2 Tbs  butter
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 tsp sea salt (less if your veggie stock is salted)
• 4 to 6 sunchokes, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 6 to 8 cups of mushroom stock
• 2 cups arborio rice
• 2 cups chopped kale
• nutritional yeast to taste (optional)

Directions

Be prepared have all your ingredients measured and ready to go. Take a large pot and begin by heating the oil and butter. Stir in the garlic and onions and allow them to become translucent. Next Toss in the sunchokes and let them simmer for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add a label full of broth to the sunchokes and allow them to simmer for about 20 minutes or until the sunchokes are tender. When the sunchokes are tender, smash them with a fork as best you can.

Now it’s rice time! Stir in the rice and saute for a minute. Now add a cup of broth. Stir the rice continuously until the liquid has been absorbed. Repeat this several times until the rice is tender. You may not need to use all of the broth. I had about a half cup left. it will take about a half hour for the rice to become tender. When you feel that the rice is almost perfect, add the kale and parsley. Stir for a few minutes and serve! I added parmesan cheese and kale chips on top for texture.

Crustless Quiche  by Me

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 10 oz  chopped spinach
• 5 eggs, beaten
• 3 cups shredded Muenster cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a 9 inch stoneware pie pan. (if you use glass lightly grease)
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft. Stir in spinach and continue cooking until excess moisture has evaporated.
3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. Add spinach and onions.  Scoop into prepared pie pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.