Well Done, You

Oh mamas.  You all were on my mind all day yesterday.  I was running into so many of you all over the place- the school parking lot, in hallways, inside classrooms, and all over Facebook.   We made it through another first day of school.  That in itself deserves a congratulations, but I’ve been walking around all day with it on my heart to celebrate something else in a much bigger way.  It’s you all.  Well, it is me too, but it’s mostly you.  Okay, wait.  Actually, it’s us- this community of mothers.  All of us- the working ones, the stay at home ones, all of us. I was in awe yesterday. 

I know there are a lot of people out there who don’t understand what we do.  Just recently I was talking to someone who was complaining about a coworker who didn’t volunteer overtime.  She was upset because his excuse was that he had to get home to help his wife with their twins.  Then she said “And she’s a stay at home mom!  It’s not like she does anything!!” 

Nope.  We don’t do anything.

That mom, the one with the young twins, how selfish that she would want her husband home after his 9 hour workday to help her!  (And what a terrible dad, to want to spend time with his children before they’re put to bed.)  All moms know-the working ones too- that when you are home with your child, it is not a day off.  Even if you stay in your pajamas, even if you don’t leave the house, even when you are having a blast together, it is still work.  Sometimes it is fun work.  Other times it is mind numbing work.  However, unless your kids know how to make their own meals, entertain themselves, educate themselves, drive themselves places, and keep house, it is still work. 

Forget about those people.  Maybe someday they’ll be lucky enough to understand what parents do.  

So, can we take a moment and talk about what it is we actually do do?

 I feel like I’ve finished a season of my life.  I’ve got 3 kids in school now 8 hours and one that’s gone for half of a day.  The long, long days of being home and outnumbered with 3 little kids in various stages under the age of 5 are behind me.  No more diapers, no more sippy cups, no more high chairs, naps, playgroups, and no more 24 hour coverage of Nick Jr. cartoons (Thank God.  As I once saw someone write about Dora The Explorer: “Girl needs charm school.” Yes.  Yes she does.)

In fact, I should probably change the name of this blog.  It’s rare these days for me to have “mean mom moments.”  I mean, of course, I still get frustrated with the kids.  I still yell more than I’d like to.  Ain’t no shame.  A lot of us do.  But those moments that inspired this blog, this post… when things would spin out of control and utter chaos would ensue, and I would lose it for a sec? Rare.  Hardly ever happens anymore.  My kids mostly do for themselves now and I no longer have to juggle 3 different sets of needs or demands all at once.  I’ve switched out the physical exhaustion of taking care of babies for the mental tightrope of navigating “big kid” issues: friend relationships and hurt feelings, after school activities, homework, preparing 9 for college, etc.  I’m ready. I’m excited.  I’m also really proud of myself for getting through the first season- cuz that was hard yo!  Really, really hard.  But I don’t have to explain it to you, because you all know.  You’ve been there.

The common theme yesterday, all over Facebook and in the conversations  at school, was how did they (our children) get so big?  Did you notice it too?  Even if we weren’t saying it, it showed in our faces- the marvel of how did this happen?  How did we get here so fast?  Are they going to be okay? Am I?

The answer is yes.  You are going to be okay.  I am going to be okay, and they are going to be okay.  They’ve all gotten so big because we’ve done our jobs well.  Time goes fast because time always goes faster where love is present.  Isn’t that true?  And while it’s hard to watch your child walk off into a sea of a hundred other children without you by their side, it is what is supposed to happen.  It’s why we all work so hard at this parenting gig- so our kids can grow and be successfully independent. 

 So well done, you.  Well done, me.  

One more thing.   

Have your kids ever said anything to you that was so incredibly honest or true or sweet without really realizing that they’re shattering your heart to pieces?  Yesterday PG was getting ready for school.  She looked in the mirror at her reflection and saw herself with her new haircut, cute little Capri jeans, black ballet flats and said “I feel so mature!”

She meant it as a joke so I laughed with her, but I almost choked on the lump in my throat.  

Thanks for being in the ranks with me, moms.  Have a great day! 

iViva Los Chilaquiles!

 It's been a while since I've done a cooking post, but that's got to change now.  I've discovered a new food bandwagon and I want to tell you about it.  The first thing I should tell you is that I'm not sure it's a bandwagon.  In fact, I might be the only one on it right now.  But you see, that's why it's so important that I let you all know about it- so you guys can join me.  Obsessing all by one's lonesome is no fun.  It's why groupies travel in packs.

Earlier in the month when I was in Seattle, my brother in law picked us up from the airport and took us to this restaurant on Capitol Hill.  It's called Barrio.  It was very cool.  It was there on the menu that I  saw it said "Ask your server about today's Chilaquiles dish."  So I did.  I asked "What are Chila...chila... chila...?"

The server smiled and said "Chilaquiles?" (pronounced Chee la KEY lays, or, as the whitest version of me likes to say, "chile-kilees".)

I said, "Yes, that."

And she lit up and then launched into this enthusiastic dialogue that started out with "They're basically like nachos on steroids......." and continued into this impressive speech that was heavily peppered with all kinds of delicious adjectives.  The three of us, Matt, my brother in law, and myself, just sat there listening.  When she was done there was a moment of silence before my brother in law said "Wow.  You sold that well."

So I ordered Chilaquiles.  And oh. my. word.  My mind was blown.  Nachos on steroids doesn't begin to cover it.  I think nachos connote fluorescent orange cheese over stale chips.  There was none of that here.  I wish I could tell you more precisely what exactly was in this dish, but to be honest, after I took my first bite, my brain stopped thinking in logical terms and only operated on sensory input.  I remember crunchy warm tortilla strips, some spicy jalapeños, queso fresco, sautéed zucchini, onions, and garlic.  I think the meat was some kind of pork carnitas, but I'm not sure.  Whatever it was, it was good.  The best part was, the whole dish was topped off with a perfectly cooked over easy egg. (I know the egg part turns some people off, but not me.  I'm telling you, it was perfection.) People call it the perfect hangover food.  I can see why.

Since I've been home, I've been trying to replicate the dish.  I haven't been successful in getting it to taste as good as the ones at Barrio, but here's the great thing I've discovered about Chilaquiles: it's basically a dish that's traditionally used to use up leftovers, so as long as you've got the key 3 ingredients (chips, sauce, & leftover meat), you can't get it wrong.  There are so many different variations, you could eat Chilaquiles every day of the month and never have a repeat dish.
So in other words, it's food heaven.  Blissful and never ending.

The recipe that I'm sharing with you here is Emeril Lagasses.  You can find it on the Food Network site.  (Or I suppose I could just give you the direct link.  Here you go.) I made a few changes of my own, 'cause I'm a rebel that way.  This recipe is a little time consuming, but very flavorful.  And like I said, you don't necessarily need a recipe as long as you've got the 3 key ingredients.  You could throw together some Chilaquiles in 5 minutes if you wanted to by tossing chips into a bowl, mixing it with whatever leftover meat/veggies you have, sprinkling some cheese on top, and then broiling it all.  But if you've got some time and you're in the mood for some really intense flavors, this recipe will do the trick.

Shall we get started?

M'kay.  Just to keep things organized (how unlike me), I'm posting this recipes in three different sections.  Let's worry about the meat first, then we'll move on to the sauce and chips, all right?  Here's what you need to cook up some yummy shredded chicken:

First you're going to chop up your garlic.  I finely chopped a few cloves for the sauce, and just roughed up a few more to poach with the chicken.

Then the next part is easy.  Just throw the chicken breasts, roughly chopped garlic cloves, juice from half of a lime, a teaspoon of salt, a bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon of dried Mexican Oregano (don't forget to crush it between your fingers to release the flavors), and 2 1/2 cups of chicken broth into a big fat huge skillet. 

Also, Emeril's recipe calls for 1/2 cup of dry white wine.  I think I used this too, but forgot to take a picture of it.  Oops.  

Go on, throw it in there.  Won't hurt anything.  

Now bring it to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer for about 10-12 minutes.  When it's done, let it cool in the broth before you take the breasts out.  Save a cup or two of the broth too, would you?

Then shred the chicken. It'll look like this:

Allrighty.  Good news!  You're done with the meat portion of the recipe.  Set it aside.  Now we can move on to the sauce- which happens to be my favorite part.  It's where all the flavor happens.

Here's what you're going to need for the sauce:

So that's an onion, 2 jalapeños, 2 poblano chiles roasted and blistered to perfection, another 1/4 teaspoon of the mexican oregano you used earlier, the reserved chicken stock, olive oil for sautéing, and a big ole fat can of crushed tomatoes (30 oz).  

First you're going to chop, mince, and slice the onions, jalapeños, and poblanos like a boss.

                                     

BAM! 

(Don't forget to seed out the jalapeños.  Crying because your tongue is on fire isn't bosslike.) 

Heat up a few tablespoons of olive oil, and sautee it all up in the pan.  

Add the tomatoes. 

And the reserved chicken broth.

And then crush up the last 1/4 teaspoon of the oregano into the sauce. 

Cover it and let it simmer for about 30 minutes.  Your house will start smelling like a mexican kitchen.  That's a good thing.  

When the sauce has thickened up a bit, you can add in the poblano chiles....  

                                              

and the cream.  Wait!  Back it up.  Did I forgot to mention the cream in the ingredients list?  Sorry!  You'll need 1/3 cup of cream.  

Pour it in there.

Keep going.  

Keep going.  Isn't it pretty? 

                                                   

Now you mix up all the vibrant colors and cook it ten minutes longer (or until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon)

Now, you just add the chicken in. 

Mix it up, put a lid on it, and.....

Congratulations!  You are done with the sauce and are now only mere minutes away from reaping the rewards of your labor.  Part three is easy and quick.  Here's the ingredients that you'll be using: 

                                     

Corn tortillas, oil, queso fresco, and the eggs, which you don't have to do, but I'm going to be really disappointed if you leave them off.   

Whew. Let's wrap this up.  I'm getting impatient. 

Slice the tortillas. You can do strips if you want.  Or squiggles.  Or squares.  Really, it's just all about whatever suits your mood at the moment.  I was in a triangular type of mood.  Wacky. 

                                        

Pour an inch or two of oil into your pan and fry your chips up in batches. 

                                   

I forgot to time it because I'm a ditz. However, common sense goes a long way here: When the chips start to look brown, take em out. 

See?  Logic.  For something so intimidating to space cadets like me,it sure proves useful from time to time. 

Where were we?  Oh yeah.  Ladle on some sauce. 

Then throw on some more chips.

Then more sauce.

Then some queso fresco. 

And then you stick that cheesy, crunchy, salty mess under the broiler for 5 minutes.  

While it's under there, if you're using an egg fry it up.  (Please, try the egg at least once.  That's all I ask.  Just once.  And if you don't like it, I'll never bring it up again.  I may secretly wonder what's wrong with you, but I won't actually say anything out loud.  Deal?)

Here's the best part.  Ready? 

When you take it out from the broiler, it'll look like this:

                                          

When you put an egg on top, it'll look like this:

When you bite into it, it'll look like this:

And this:

And finally, this:

The pictures aren't doing it justice, guys.  This is good stuff.  Make some today.  Or okay, tomorrow if you have to wait that long.  Just make 'em.  Then let me know what you think, cuz what I'm saying is that we need a Chilaquiles Revolution.

Or at the very least, a food truck specializing in them.

The time is now, people.

Have a good night. 

Me & Public Transportation

I need to start this post with a little announcement.  Henceforth on this blog, I will no longer be referring to my husband as Mr. C.  He's just going to be "Matt" here on the blog because lately, every time I wrote out "Mr. C", I cringed.  I feel like I was giving the impression of myself as a hideously upbeat house frau who defers to her husband for every life detail.  It annoyed me.  It's probably been annoying you too.  Thanks for not saying anything.  I've always been the kind of person who needs lots of time to come to these realizations on her own.

It's all part of my charm, friends.

Now on to the real stuff.

Matt and I got back from Seattle earlier this week, where we spent 3 lovely childless days roaming the city and taking advantage of my brother in law's hospitality.  His home is in the Capitol Hill area, and not only does it have a sweeping view of Mt. Rainier, the bay, and downtown, but there is also a gorgeous rooftop patio from which to enjoy it all from.   The weather was perfect.  The Blue Angels flew over our heads one morning while we sat out drinking coffee.

Heavenly.

While we were there we did not rent a car, as we usually do.  We decided to use public transportation.  You know- like, buses.  Subways.  Trains.  Monorails.   These are all words that carry the power to make a lot of California Suburbanites squirm.  Those of you who live here in the desert, if you don't believe me, grab a friend and do a random word association game. Throw out the words "Sun Bus" and see if the first few words thrown back aren't "dirty", "depressing", or "ewwww." (If it's eww, then please gently remind your player that "ew" is not a word, but an expressive interjection.  And then make sure they feel really stupid before you let them take another turn.)

(Kidding!  Nobody likes a snob!)

Anyway, Matt and I did okay getting ourselves around Seattle.  It helped a lot that he was with me, mostly because when lost, my instincts direct me to just go right. In fact, without Matt, I'd probably still be walking a gigantic square around Seattle.  (Which again, is all part of my charm. Matt tells me that I must've been a bat in a previous life.)

So, as I was saying, it all turned out fairly well.  Especially because while riding around in the bus through the International District, I had time to muse over a few insights about public transportation, including my history with it.  Can I share it with you?

Me and Public Transportation, circa 1988:  Me.  Middle school.  Big hair.  Shoulder pads.  Zits.  My friends and I lived 2-3 miles from school, so we'd ride the bus halfway and then walk.  One day an old man got on, sat down next to us and before we knew what was happening, dug out an American Flag from the large knapsack he carried.  He then began a very loud and passionate lecture on our great country.  He was into it, eyes wide, spit flying from his mouth, arms maniacally waving his flag- clearly he was what I like to call "whackadoo".  Nowadays, I would have more empathy and respect, but back then I didn't know any better than to stick with middle school pack mentality.  We just kind of sat, rolling our eyes, looking everywhere but at him, wishing away the uncomfortableness.
1988 lesson learned:  Crazy people sometimes use public transportation.

Me and Public Transportation, circa 1992: Me.  Freshly graduated.  Brand new to the desert and it's heat.  I'm on the way to my first post- high school job as a waitress at Sizzlers.  (Does that make you want to cry or laugh?)  I'm waiting at the bus stop in 110 degree heat wearing dark blue nylons, a thick polyester blue knee-length skirt, a blue blouse with puffed sleeves, a goddamn bolo tie, and the ugliest pair of rubber soled black shoes that the world has ever known.  I'm crying. Not because of my outfit- although that would have been justified- I'm crying because I'm worried that I'm going to be late for my new job two cities away, and I don't understand the bus routes.  A bus pulls up, I get on.  I sit and nervously watch out the window at the unfamiliar roads.  I'm the only white girl on the bus.  No one around me is speaking English.  I feel sorry for myself and  start crying again.  20 minutes into the trip, I stand up and weave unsteadily up the aisle.  Through my tears I ask the bus driver if this bus is going to Palm Desert.  He laughs at me and tells me that currently, we were in Thermal.  I sob loudly and get off on the next stop, where I find a pay phone and commence to make a drama-filled accusatory phone call to my mother.  If I remember correctly,  I hysterically informed her that if I lost my job it would be entirely her fault since she refused to buy me a car and forced me to take public transportation.   I think I remember an audience of migrant workers watching me.  It was a performance worthy of a Mexican Soap Opera, except I wasn't acting.  I was really that lame.
1992 lesson learned: Sometimes you ARE the crazy person riding the public transportation. 

Me and Public Transportation, circa 1995:  Me.  Spiral perm. Flannel.  Doc Martens.  Heading from San Bernardino to Flagstaff, AZ via train.  My boyfriend is with me (also in flannel and Doc Martens) and although we're feeling very self sufficient and adult, we toss and turn uncomfortably throughout the whole red eye train ride.  The seats are extremely uncomfortable.  I enviously eye the traveler across the aisle from us who is comfortably stretched out using some kind of foot rest contraption.  When my boyfriend gets up to use the restroom, I lean across the aisle and in a conspiratorial tone, say to the well rested traveler "You must do this a lot."
"What?" he asked shortly.
 I widened my smile in a show of friendliness and repeated , "I said, you must do this a lot."
"Um, no.  Not really." he said.
"Oh."  I frowned.  "I just figured someone who brings their own foot rest must travel by train a lot."
When a slow smile started spreading across his face, I became aware that I must've said something extraordinarily dumb.   I didn't know what it was yet, but I braced myself for humiliation.  And I was not disappointed.
"I didn't bring this."he remarked, his condescending eyes sparkling with amusement.
"Oh. No?"
"No.  Look under your seat."
Oh.  Well shit.  Apparently, a foot rest was there, available to everyone, neatly tucked away under all the seats.
My boyfriend came back from the restroom.  "Hey." he said to me.  "Do you know everyone has one of those foot stool things under their seats?"
I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead.
"Yep.  Just figured it out."
1995 lesson learned:  It's best not to talk to strangers when using public transportation, if for no other reason than to save yourself from embarrassment.


And that brings me back to Seattle.  Sitting on the buses, looking at the maps, checking and rechecking the app (there really is an app for everything) I realized something that I wish I had seen a long time ago.  Sure, public transportation isn't as fast and clean as a private car is.  Sure, the buses smelled strongly of deli meat.  And yes, we rolled through some sketchy parts of town.  But I realized then that if you want to get to know a city- like really get intimate with it- public transportation is probably the best way to do that.  It's not just about riding with the people, going through neighborhoods you wouldn't have otherwise seen, but it's also about the art of mastering the city.  Taking control.  Finding your own way around.  It's very empowering.

Maybe some of you would have seen that right away.  Maybe you're thinking that I'm elitist and naive to only just now get that.  But if that's what you're thinking, can I remind you of what I said at the beginning of this post?  I'm the kind of person who has to make these realizations in her own time.

It's all part of my charm.