Confessions of an Amateur Cook: #3

I figure if I'm willing to open up my kitchen missteps, and occasional house fires, for internet fodder, I may as well take a moment to relish in my intermittent kitchen successes. (Yes, they do happen on occasion.) And I am overjoyed last night was one.

My Sunday night dinner experiment this weekend started with Giada DeLauretis' Braciola, a recipe I've wanted to try for years. Ever since I watched Deborah on Everybody Loves Raymond, a well-known disaster in the kitchen, make a braciola that brought her critical TV family back groveling for more.

Braciola is a traditional Italian sunday night family supper, and a recipe often adjusted to whatever is available for the cut of meat, cheeses and herbs. For ours I took flank steak, pecorino romano and provolone cheeses and italian parsley, rolled into a scrumptious bundle and cooked for 2 1/2 hours and basted in marinara sauce. What could be better?

Relatively easy, albeit time-consuming, the final result was worth every trip to the oven for babysitting. I even made my own garlic butter for the bread. Nothing half-ass was sharing a table with this entree. The whole meal turned out so delicious and Ben and I stuffed ourselves to oblivion. Ben was not asked to pose for this post-meal compliment!

If I've any wisdom to gain it would be to make this next time some afternoon we aren't booked with soccer when I can devote a consecutive amount of time for cooking. It would eliminate the need I had to reheat the meat. Even though the recipe called for doing just that if needed, it probably dried it out a tiny bit. But who could really tell when it was bathed with all that sauce?

If that wasn't enough, and as if we had room, I had to try my hand at a special dessert: Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes. I've always wanted a reason to make something in ramekins but never had any on hand, and I never would justify buying the $2 dishes for no known purpose. Can I just say it was so fun to buy dishes for no other reason than "dammit I am making this dessert!"

I was oh-so-tempted to overcook my cakes, as it seems so counter-intuitive to deliberately undercook them, but I followed my brain and not my instincts and they really turned out beautifully. Once cut into, the bittersweet chocolate lava flowed onto our plates like a sleepy decadent river.

Oh sweet gluttony, how you ruined us. And now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to eat my salad.

Little Kickers

You may not realize this, but we have an official NASA member in the family! The "North Atlanta Soccer Assosiation" that is. At Caroline's suggestion, we signed the boys up for 6 weeks of fall soccer to get them officially started in competitive sports. This afternoon was our first session, and I have to admit, I did not have high hopes for this event. Matty had had nothing to say about this upcoming activity that led me to believe it was something he was going to enjoy. He was not interested in the special shoes, the new shorts or the extra big socks with the extra firm shins.

But with promises of treats and enough up-talk, Matty seemed excited about soccer afterall when the time came to head to the field today. We had a minor incident when it wasn't time for him to have the ball just yet upon arrival, and a few tears were shed, but other than that the afternoon was a fun one. With memories of Hudson's early soccer career still clear in my mind, I'd envisioned a good bit of butterfly chasing. But our league at this age doesn't even attempt to hold a game. It's really just parents and kids running and kicking and getting the feel for the basics of the game.

Jake and Matty had a great time when they were on the field in between their trips to the sidelines for hugs, water and snacks. If the fathers' threats hold up through the week, it will be the last session Caroline and I attend as we were only fuel to the many distractions.

But what a thrill to see little Matty in his cleats and shin-guards and his too-long big boy soccer shorts. Another reminder how fast he's growing and how I truly savor every moment.

Shorty's!

Just looking through the summer pictures that never made their way onto the blog. And shocked I never posted the ones from our long-awaited trip to Waco and lunch at Shorty's Pizza Shack. Ted's been open since the beginning of this year, but working on his pizza place for years now it seems. And it was certainly worth the wait. The place is the ultimate college hangout. Cheap beer and great pizza. Seriously, what else is there in life?

We enjoyed getting the royal family treatment. Ted just made some food choices for us and we sat and waited for the tasty meal to begin. Great wings, pizza, free shirts and pens and a happy 3-year old running in and out of the kitchen!

Can't wait to go back for more!

Out and About

With Ben in Auburn this past weekend and Matty and I booked for our 7th birthday party weekend in a row, Matty and I did not have much else planned this weekend. When just as we were walking out the door for his classmate Emma's 3rd birthday party, I got an email saying her party had to be cancelled and the poor thing was awaiting stitches at the doctor's! Matty was so disappointed he couldn't see his friends he didn't even stomp his feet in protest. No, he sadly walked his little self to the corner of the sunroom, put his head down and somberly stared outside. "I just want to sit here and do nothing" was all I could get from him.

It took some prodding but once in the car the two of us headed to the Square for some impromptu fun and took advantage of the gorgeous September sky. Matty helped direct me where to walk, and first we ended up at the ice cream store, wherein I spent a gross amount of money on a huge bag of Jelly Belly's. That's what happens when you give a 3-year-old the controls. Next we went to Just Kiln Time and painted pottery, as had been the plan for the party. He was pretty interested for a bit but faded quicker than I thought. Nevertheless I'll have a custom painted coaster in a few days when it comes back from firing!

No trip to the square is complete without climbing the old, iron choo choo they have on display. If his blues weren't gone by now, they would have been when he discovered he is big enough to climb to the top himself!

He even learned to make wishes in the fountain in Glover Park. A lot of wishes. He cleaned me out of pennies!

Funny how a bummer can turn into a blessing if try hard enough.

Then Sunday, Caroline and I headed to a long overdue trip to the movies and Matty and Ben headed to the Chattahoochie River. Ben underestimated Matty's interest a tad, the child stripped himself down almost naked and was running into the water! Next time we'll be better prepared. He came home a wet, yet happy camper.