Oishii: Tempura

The Japanese are known for a particularly healthy diet rife with fish, vegetables and rice. But don't let them fool you--they like their deep-fried foods as much as Americans do!

One of the most popular fried foods in Japan is called tempura, or deep-fried vegetables (and sometimes seafood).

Pretty much any vegetable can be made into tempura, but my favorites are shredded carrots, corn kernels, chopped onion and sliced sweet potato. All you have to do is dip the veggies into tempura batter, fry on medium-high heat for a few minutes, drain excess oil and serve with tempura dipping sauce. Recipes for the batter and sauce are below (but if you're lazy like me, just buy them in the Asian foods section of your grocery store). 

Tempura batter

This is the recipe for homemade batter, but you can also find batter starter kits in the Asian food section of your grocery store. 

1 egg

1 cup ice water

1 cup flour

1. Beat egg in a bowl.

2. Add ice water to the bowl. 

3. Add flour to the bowl and mix lightly. Do not overmix. 

Tempura sauce

This is the recipe for homemade sauce, but you can also find ready-made sauce in the Asian food section of your grocery store. 

1 cup dashi stock
1/4 cup mirin
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 tbsp suger

1. Heat mirin in a pan.
2. Add dashi stock and soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Serve.

Mmmm. So good and so bad...

Preparing for President's Day

"It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt."

~Abraham Lincoln

I laugh to myself when I think of this quote because I tend to be the type to open my mouth (and insert my foot), removing all doubt in the minds of my listeners (or readers!). But at least I can laugh at myself!

We've been having some fun preparing for President's Day:

- reading President's Day by Anne and Lizzy Rockwell, Our Abe Lincoln by Jim Aylesworth (illustrated by Barbara McClintock, one of our favorites!), Farmer George Plants a Nation by Peggy Thomas, George Washington's Teeth by Deborah Chandra, Stand Tall, Abe Lincoln by Judith St. George, and Abe's Honest Words by Doreen Rappaport.

- fieldtrip to visit sites that honor Washington and Lincoln. Having the fortune to live in DC, we went to the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument before stopping at the Lincoln exhibit at the Smithsonian's Museum of American History (you can check out their online exhibit, too!). And on Monday, admission to Mt. Vernon is free, so we'll hit that up as well.

- making snacks in honor of Washington and Lincoln: pretzel log cabins and cherry desserts (like these cherry coconut cupcakes)

- working on our President's Day lapbook (we used materials from homeschool share and squidoo).

- playing math games with money, particularly pennies and quarters!

- making tri-cornered hats out of black construction paper (it doesn't get any easier than this!).

I love focusing on holidays and building traditions around them for our little family. I heard some of my friends complaining that in their children's schools they are putting a lot of focus on black history month (which is wonderful!) but ignoring President's Day (which is tragic). Just by the simple study I've been doing with Mayumi I've developed a much deeper love and respect for Washington and Lincoln and I hope that I can pass that, along with patriotic zeal for our history, on to my daughter. If you have any other ideas for President's Day, please share!

The time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether Americans are to be freemen or slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their houses and farms are to be pillaged and destroyed, and themselves consigned to a state of wretchedness from which no human efforts will deliver them. The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army. Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the choice of brave resistance, or the most abject submission. We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer or die.

~ George Washington in an address to the Continental Army before the Battle of Long Island (27 August 1776)

{this moment}

a friday ritual (inspired by soulemama).

a single photo capturing a moment from the week. a simple, special, extraordinary moment. a moment to pause, savor and remember.if you're inspired to do the same, share a link to your 'moment' in the comments!

wishing you a lovely weekend!

Great expectations

Do you ever feel like your baby just doesn't measure up?

I try not to compare Olive to my friends' kids because I know all babies are not built alike. It's okay for some to hit milestones earlier or later than others. But that still doesn't stop me from worrying that my baby might be behind.

Some of Olive's anomalies:

1. Chunky monkey. Though she was just 6 lbs. 14 oz. when she was born, Olive skyrocketed up to the 90th decile within a few months. This one wasn't one I worried about, though. I love me some chunky baby!

2. (Not so) solid as a rock. In line with the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendation, I didn't attempt to feed Olive solids until she was six-and-a-half months old. When I did, she would have nothing to do with it. I tried feeding her a couple of times a day for two straight months and she never had more than about a teaspoon--and that was if I could force that much into her mouth. I worried she wasn't getting enough nutrition, that she would have a negative association with food, that she was still living on only breast milk while my friend's babies were chowing down peas and carrots at four months old.

Olive never did like pureed food, but did start eating table foods when she was about nine months old and got her first teeth in. Now she's a champion eater and I realize how silly it was for me to worry. Of course she would eat eventually! Anyone who looked at Olive would have realized she was getting, um, adequate calories through nursing and I shouldn't have even wasted my time worrying just because she wasn't on the same eating timeline as most other babies.

3. Creepy crawler. My BabyCenter updates kept telling me that around seven or eight months, my baby should be crawling. When eight, then nine months rolled around and Olive still hadn't showed signs of crawling (even with our aid), I worried that I didn't give her enough tummy time and maybe she wasn't strong enough to crawl. Turns out Olive was one of those babies that went straight to walking around 11 months. Yet another milestone I shouldn't have worried about because, like eating solids, mobility would eventually happen for my little one and if it didn't match up to other babies' milestones, it wasn't a big deal.

4. Sleeping Beauty. Or not. You may recall the post I did about our struggle with sleep in this household, as my one-year-old daughter still likes to wake up at night. Some of my friends say, "Still?!" or express their sympathy that my baby doesn't sleep 13 hours like theirs (lucky ducks!), but I'm trying not to compare. I know a lot of babies still wake up at this age and this, too, shall pass.

5. Milky way.  My latest worry is weaning Olive. I suppose I am in the "extended breastfeeding" club now, which is rare around these parts. My pediatrician says I need to start giving her cow's milk in a sippy cup and ditch the bottle. I've been mixing 1/2 cow's milk with 1/2 breast milk, which Olive will drink if it's warmed up and in a bottle. But when I try to give her any type of milk (even straight breast milk) in a sippy cup, she won't have anything to do with it, though she frequently drinks water from a sippy cup.

So of course, I'm wondering how I'll ever break her bottle habit and if I'll ever be able to wean her. You'd think by now I'd realize that of course she will eventually let go of her bottle and of course she'll eventually drink cow's milk; I just need to be more patient in letting things happen on their own time rather than forcing a somewhat arbitrary timeline on Olive.

I think I worry because I have zero experience with this stuff. I try to educate myself on these topics, but somehow the worry bug still finds its way into my head. If I'm honest, I know why: I tend to feel judged by others in that Olive's lack of timely accomplishments is a poor reflection on my mothering. I know this is ridiculous and I need to just let Olive go at her own pace (with some gentle prodding). Gaining more confidence in this area is something I'm working on. Any suggestions?

Stylish? Excuse us while we blush!

What a sweet surprise to be honored by Jill over at Elliemoon with the Stylish Blogger Award!

Since starting a blog a little over a year ago, we've been so honored and thrilled to find a little community of wonderful, like-minded bloggers who have embraced and supported us, including Jill. Jill is a super-creative mom of four who lives in my favorite state in the union (MASSACHUSETTS, the place that will always be our home) and she writes with grace and style. Many thanks to her for thinking of us.

And as this award works, here are the seven facts about the Wabisabi Mamas followed by a list of seven of our favorite stylish bloggers.

1. At one point in her childhood, MamaQ was determined to be the first female NFL player (Tom Brady has my dream job, {sigh}). Our brother never lets her forget it.

2. MamaQ can break an apple in half with her bare hands. It's pretty cool to see.

3. MamaM's bad habits include snapping gum obnoxiously, picking skin off her lips (I know, it's so gross) and interrupting people.

4. MamaM is the blindest of the Wabisabi Mamas with a prescription of negative 9 (pretty sure that's legally blind).

5. MamaD takes great pleasure in crappy rom-com and/or B-rated action movies (anything Jean-Claude Van Damme or Arnold Schwarzenegger is awesome!)

6. MamaD and MamaQ enjoy doing yoga, but MamaM likes to kick some trash cardio kickboxing.

6. MamaQ, MamaM and MamaD all sang the National Anthem at various high school sporting events.

Some mighty stylish blogs we love to visit:

Chaz and Ginger
Awesome homeschooling mama of four boys and radical homemaker extraordinaire! Also lives in marvelous Massachusetts.

Being Awesome
Another mama of four, but this one lives in NYC and is one of the funniest and warmest writers around. A talented actress and improv artist, she has brains and style up to her eyeballs.

Elegance Redefined

Rachel is an uber-talented, San Francisco-based interior designer that blogs about her projects, style inspirations and her adorable baby boy Sam.

The Pomegranate Chronicles

Pomegranate Girl is a sweet mama documenting her sewing, knitting and family adventures. Bonus -- she's got some Japanese in her and we love supporting our Nihonjin sisters.

Stitching Under Oaks
Lisa Q. from Maryland writes about her faith, her family and her creative endeavors. She also runs an Etsy store.

As Sistas in Zion
Funny ladies who tell it straight about what it means to be black and Mormon.

Dark Chocolate Daily
You know those food blogs with incredibly gorgeous photos that make you so hungry you could practically lick the computer screen? This is one of those, but with astute writing and all about chocolate!

happy valentine's day!

Much love to all of you. Hope you are able to share your love and affection with your sweethearts, little darlings and friends. And if you feel so inclined, let us know how you celebrated (like what delicious yumminess you indulged in - remember, I'm on my detox and must live vicariously through all of you!).

Produce and pesticides

A couple months back, I committed to eating better, including buying organic food. I've really been trying to stick to that commitment, but it is difficult to find organic produce where I live. I've been searching for a way to effectively clean my non-organic produce (especially those that are known to have the highest levels of pesticides) and discovered a few things (to learn more about #1 and #2, read this New York Times article):

1. Rinsing with tap water is just as effective as rinsing with a veggie wash--so do don't waste your money! Do be sure to rub the produce when rinsing; a study showed that friction was key to removing contaminants.

2. Even better than washing with tap water or veggie wash is soaking produce in vinegar. A 10% vinegar-to-water mixture has been shown to reduce bacteria by 90%, viruses by 95% and pesticide residue, although I couldn't find a percentage for that one.

3. Discard outer layers. Although pesticide sits on produce so long it often seeps through the outer layers, it can still be beneficial to peel the skin or toss the outer leaves of fruits and vegetables.

4. Even if your produce is organic, you should wash thoroughly. Who knows how many dirty hands have touched it in transit!

I tried out the vinegar wash on blueberries, Asian pears and apples and am happy to report that a good soak plus tap water rinse left no vinegar-y taste.

Oishii: Last-Minute Valentine Treats

I'm on a strict detox and won't be able to enjoy all the sweet confections of the holiday - oh torture to make them for my family and then abstain! But I still plan to make it special for their sakes. Lots of pink and red and hearts galore. And chocolate. Did I mention chocolate?

I'm planning to make raspberry cream cheese pan-crepes and strawberry smoothies for breakfast, dark chocolate and raspberry heart scones and chocolate-dipped strawberries for our afternoon tea, and then create a delicious dinner feast of valentine bread with roasted red pepper soup, chicken sandwiches and spinach salad with strawberries, goatcheese, pecans and poppyseed dressing.

And just in case that isn't enough, I may just whip up some chocolate peanut-butter heart cookies or maybe even these Nutella strawberry puff pastry hearts. Or cardamom creme brulee? Oh dear, whose idea was it to do this cleanse anyhow! Well, I'm sharing these ideas with you so maybe you can enjoy them and I can look back a year from now and know what my Valentine menu will be - for myself this time.

You may want to stop by today and eat my share these goodiess... because I don't know if I'll have the willpower to resist!

Giveaway Winners!

And the winners of the homemade herbal heating packs are:

If you haven't heard from me yet, it is because I don't have your email address and I need to get your mailing address to send you your prize!

Thank you to everyone who left a comment - we love getting comments and appreciate so much that you take time out of your busy schedule to stop by and say hi. Have a wonderful weekend and stay warm!

mamahood - keeping it real

I fell asleep in bed with Mayumi around 8pm last night and woke up two hours later to the sound of vomiting. I felt it splash onto my hair and run down my back and I called out to Mr. Q (who was downstairs watching TV) to come help. Poor Mayumi couldn't stop until the contents of her stomach were completely emptied. While her daddy cleaned her up and comforted her I got to work changing all the sheets (and blankets and duvet and pillows - yes EVERYWHERE!) and then while she went back to sleep I went ahead and disinfected the entire bathroom. I slept with her in the guest bed and a few hours later she woke up again with another throw-up fit. My poor baby.

Not much sleep was had and we all woke up a bit groggy this morning. But Mayumi has an extremely sweet disposition when she is sick - she is affectionate and cheerful, if subdued. She helped me do a few loads of laundry and then we laid down to take a little nap. I got up while she was still sleeping and checked some email and discovered that my friend Naomi has published a little guest post written by myself over on her wildly popular blog The Rockstar Diaries. I read it and smiled and was reminded - as I am a hundred times a day it seems - that despite these rough moments, being a mama really is quite spectacular, but in a more quiet way.

The house is an absolute disaster, I am hungry and a bit cranky as I wrap up week 2 of my cleanse, I'm having camera issues again, and there are a million things on my to-do list that are not making me feel tranquil and zen. But now Mayumi is cuddling into my chest with her finger in my bellybutton (her comfort mechanism) and I'm aware that my greatest treasure is here in my lap. How's that for keeping it real?