You Give Me Fever

This is somewhat divergent from my typical food-focused blogs, but I have to vent about the most stressful, to date, week of my life.

Last week, my little baby bear was afflicted. It started on Monday night, when Stefan was away. She was uncharacteristically fussy. On Tuesday, I packed her up for a visit to her grandma and cousins. We arrived, she cried. She got hot. I got nervous. Her fever registered 102.2.

In typical new mom fashion, I raced to the doctor who told me "not to worry. Babies run high fevers." I breathed a sigh of relief. Later that night, her fever was up to 103.7. I panicked, called the doctor, who told me, "not to worry. Babies run high fevers." Hmmm... I worried regardless.

On Wednesday, her high reading was a whopping 104.7! She felt like a tiny oven and it almost hurt to touch her. It hurt my heart to see her in such discomfort. I was a wreck and she was in agony.

On Thursday, there was no improvement and her mood was markedly worse. Friday, more of the same. I ran to the doctor, again. Again, "not worry. Babies get high fevers, but come back on Monday if there's no improvement."

Well, thankfully, by Sunday, she seemed to be back to herself, with the exception that she was a little tired and worn out from the week of cooking her insides.

I guess the moral of the story is: "Not to worry. Babies get high fevers."

Quick Tip: Pain Free Whisking

Phew... it's been a busy week. What with Sesame Street, the rainforest jumperoo and mommy and me yoga, we've hardly had time to take a breath (except for the ones we took IN yoga). I do, however, have six new and incredible recipes to share including: Thai Beef Salad, Whitney Minestrone, AsianAhi Poke and more. BUT, I am too busy to compile them now. However, I am adding a new weekly feature: The Quick Tip. Pain-Free Whisking is the first of many to come.

When I was a child, everyone in my family had a hand-held electric mixer. You know the kind with multiple inserts that you pop into the bowl of cream and sugar and within seconds, you've got a lovely whipped cream? I have, however, noticed that many of my contemporaries DO NOT have one of these, myself included. I think we're all waiting for the day that our shiny, new Kitchen Aid arrives. But until then, there's the manual whisk, that with few notable exceptions can do any job the electric can. BUT, if you've ever hand-whipped cream or hand-whisked a vinaigrette, you know there can indeed be some cramping involved.

The solution is so simple, yet known to so few. First, make sure your ingredients and your tools are very, very cold. This is especially true in the case of cream. By putting your metal mixing bowl into the freezer a few moments before whipping, you'll cut out at least two to three minutes of whisking time. Secondly, DON'T USE YOUR ARM. This was something I learned from the greatJacques Pepin (he was on TV; I am not pretending to have had one-on-one time with the man) and something I chant to myself each time I pick up the whisk. Use your wrist. There are a multitude of ways to use your wrist; I like to repeatedly push away from my body where others prefer to whisk towards themselves. Whatever it is, just don't use your arm. You'll thank me the next time you're in the midst of whipped cream or salad dressing crisis. And I promise, your friends and family will be SO impressed when you turn a liquid into a solid in minutes flat.

Say What? Enslaved Tomato-Pickers!

I try hard to ignore the hype and eat the foods that I crave, when I crave them. No politics. Just food. But a recent article in Gourmet Magazine inspired me to rethink the way I grocery shop. Seriously, don't eat tomatoes in the winter (it's not as if they taste like anything anyway)... unless they come in a can. Just don't. Read the article here:

http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000s/2009/03/politics-of-the-plate-the-price-of-tomatoes

Tomatoes, like any seasonal fruit or vegetable, are best at their peak and invariably worth the wait. Just think how euphoric it will feel to bite into that first ripe, juicy, robust Jersey tomato when the time comes!

Nothing's Cozier than a Great Friend

Could this be the first meeting of future best friends? The way they seemed to look deep into each other's souls and the way they inherently understood each other made me think about what makes friendships great. When you connect with someone and without words, are able to see deep into her soul, it's as if you're saying, "I am here and I am able to understand the way you feel in the world." Just like Adela said to tiny Simone: "I am here and I am small, scared, amazed and inspired every second of my life. I just found my feet like you and I understand."

I had such a magical time with my friend Laura in Connecticut. I felt like she understands how I feel in the world. Thanks, Laura for being such a wonderful friend and for taking such beautiful pictures of my daughter and me.

Beet Soup on a Snowy Day

It's a snowy day in Montclair and since, with the wind chill, the temperature is in the teens, I thought it best to keep the infant all cozy inside. To keep myself from going mad, I made a delicious beet soup to serve as the first course to our dinner of herbed roast chicken, popovers and arugula salad.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 lbs. Red Beets, trimmed, peeled, halved and sliced
2 small yellow onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 1/2 tbs. unsalted butter
2 cups apple cider
3 cups (College Inn) chicken broth
salt
pepper

Technique:

In a medium saute pan, over medium-low heat, melt the butter.
Add the onions and bring up the heat to medium.
Once the onions have begun to turn translucent, add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add the beets and sweat the veggies for five minutes, being careful not to scorch by stirring frequently.
Add the cider and broth and cook until the beets are very tender and can be easily pierced with the tines of a fork (approximately 35 minutes).
Using an immersion blender (or stand blender), puree the beets until smooth and creamy.
Serve hot, topped with creme fraiche, sour cream or my personal favorite, a nice spoonful of fresh, creamy goat cheese.